We’re partnering on a project to understand how living in temporary accommodation affects neurodivergent children and their families.
An estimated 165,510 children in the UK are homeless and living in temporary accommodation¹ (TA). This includes stays in hotels, B&Bs, houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) and emerging forms of temporary accommodation, including modular developments and shipping containers.
Families living in temporary accommodation are part of the UK’s ‘hidden homeless’ population. 63%¹ of households living in TA include dependent children. Often, these are single-parent households.
Why it matters
Most children would find it tough living in temporary accommodation, not knowing if they will be in their current place for weeks, months or years. However, neurodivergent children are likely to have an especially difficult time in TA.
Reasons for this include:
- Some neurodivergent people need routine, predictability and certainty, and are more profoundly affected by change than their neurotypical peers.
- Many neurodivergent people have sensory differences, making them more (or less) sensitive to their surroundings. In TA, people have less control over their environments.
- Neurodivergent children frequently have co-occurring conditions, and TA can disrupt their access to healthcare or additional support services.
- As families move between local authorities, they may lose their place on waiting lists for specialist support (e.g. CAMHS or EHCP assessments)
Project aims
Led by Professor Katherine Brickell and Dr Rosalie Warnock in partnership with the Shared Health Foundation, the Sensory Lives project collaborates with neurodivergent children and their families to know more about their experiences of temporary accommodation.
The project aims to:
- Learn about neurodivergent children’s experiences in temporary accommodation
- Re-centre neurodivergent children’s experiences in discussions of homelessness, empowering some of the UK’s most marginalised people
- Raise awareness of the challenges neurodivergent children face in temporary accommodation, highlighting the need for better support.
A crucial stage of research is the first-ever national call for evidence for experiences of parents or guardians of neurodivergent children with experience of temporary accommodation. Open between 19 May and 20 June 2025, the call for evidence encouraged parents and guardians to share their experiences anonymously.
The national call for evidence is the first of its kind in the UK. It is a collaboration between the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Households in Temporary Accommodation, King’s College London, the Shared Health Foundation and Autistica.
Throughout the project, researchers will find creative and innovative ways to collaborate with experts by experience. Katherine and her colleagues will work with neurodivergent children and their families to design a playhouse tent, sharing their experiences of temporary accommodation. The tent will tour across the UK, communicating the young people’s lived experience to diverse audiences and raising public awareness of the topic. The playhouse tent is one example of how this project will help re-centre children’s voices in the discussion of the homelessness emergency.
Our involvement
We are partnering with the Sensory Lives project on the national call for evidence by:
- Supporting with recruitment and facilitation of workshops with parents of neurodivergent children who live in TA to make sure the call for evidence asks the right questions.
- Raising awareness of the first-ever call for evidence for parents and guardians of neurodivergent children in temporary accommodation, and
- Amplifying the findings of the research.
The potential
The Sensory Lives project creates space for neurodivergent children and their families to share their insights into the child homelessness emergency, re-centring their voices in national discussions. It will give parents and carers a chance to share their experiences of living in temporary accommodation with neurodivergent children, building the case for better support for all families experiencing homelessness.