Portakabin launches innovative Transitional Housing model to provide UK families in need a Space to Belong

A high-quality, scalable and cost-effective solution to address the UK’s temporary accommodation crisis

 

The UK faces record demand for safe, affordable temporary accommodation.

The lack of stable, secure and good-quality temporary accommodation has far-reaching social consequences including negative impacts on education, health and employment, not only for the individuals and families directly affected, but also for wider communities and society as a whole.  

Local authorities are also grappling with the rising financial burden of temporary accommodation, with spending continuing to escalate. Although the Government has set ambitious targets for housebuilding and is making progress, the gap between supply and demand remains substantial.

In response, Portakabin has developed and is now introducing a new rental model for transitional housing, which provides a high-quality, scalable and cost-effective solution designed to be delivered at pace. The model is aligned to the duration of need and flexible to shifting community requirements, helping reduce the financial burden on local authorities and provide a genuine stepping stone for families in need whilst a sustainable stock of permanent social and affordable housing is built.

  1. A growing national challenge

    The scale of the UK’s temporary accommodation crisis continues to rise. As of March 2025, 131,140 households (including 160,050 children) were living in temporary accommodation, a rise of 12% since 2024. In England, almost half (47%) of children in temporary accommodation have been forced to move schools, with one in five moving multiple times. And in London, 1 in every 21 children now live in temporary accommodation, equating to 1 child in every classroom.

    It’s this instability that can have far-reaching consequences, with families often moving without notice and placed far from their places of work, school and support networks. In addition, local authorities face escalating costs and communities bear the brunt of the social and economic impact that ongoing displacements have.

    Local authorities are also grappling with spiralling temporary accommodation costs. London boroughs were forced to overspend on their homelessness budgets by £330m in 2024-25 (a 60% increase on their original budget plans for the year). Similarly, in England and Wales, councils spent over £2.8bn on temporary accommodation in 2024-25, 25% more than the previous year.

    So, whilst the Government works towards its ambition to deliver 1.5 million new homes, there remains an urgent need for a transitional solution that offers families not only safety, but stability and dignity too.

  2. A new approach to transitional housing

    The transitional housing model designed by Portakabin, provides a safe, secure and self-contained living solution, designed to bridge this gap between emergency accommodation and permanent homes. Utilising our industry leading products, manufacturing capability and delivery expertise we have developed a range of apartments, designed to be installed on a meanwhile basis, providing a truly flexible and scalable offering.

    Our solution offers a rapid, lower-cost alternative to hotels and B&Bs, reducing pressure on local authorities while improving quality and outcomes for those families in need.

  3. Our transitional solutions are:

    • Spacious, energy efficient apartments, capable of meeting all relevant residential building regulations
    • Designed to meet the needs of families and individuals providing the facilities, dignity and security unavailable in HMOs B&Bs and hotels
    • Available in one, two and three-bedroom configurations with fully equipped kitchens, bathrooms, and living areas included
    • A genuine stepping stone between emergency housing and a permanent home, providing certainty of location which supports improved health, education and employment outcomes and enables families and individuals to remain in their communities and keeps children in their familiar school with access to local support networks
    • Cost effective compared with other forms of temporary accommodation currently in use
    • Rapidly deployable, delivering up to 30 apartments in as little as 12 weeks
    • Relocatable, reconfigurable and removable modular buildings that can be repurposed, ensuring no on-going legacy and providing long-term flexibility and sustainability.

     

    Developments can be configured to suit any size footprint incorporating community facilities, such as GP surgeries and nurseries, as required. Our solutions deliver high-quality, purpose-built accommodation that can be rapidly deployed to meet urgent temporary accommodation needs. This agile approach means that homes can be ready in weeks, rather than years providing immediate relief to the UK’s overburdened temporary accommodation system.

  4. A trusted partner

    Despite being well-suited to tackle this growing challenge, modular transitional housing remains underutilised. The modular sector has the tools and capacity to provide high-quality, energy efficient transitional housing at pace and scale, but is being held back by structural barriers.

    With decades of experience delivering critical public and private infrastructure across the UK, Portakabin is uniquely positioned to support local authorities in tackling the ever-growing temporary accommodation crisis.

    By combining modular construction with a deep understanding of community needs, this solution supports the Government’s goals, providing thousands of families a space to belong, whilst long-term permanent solutions are developed.

    For more information about our transitional housing model, please email press@portakabin.com.