At least 124,000 children in England are living in temporary accommodation. Some families live in B&Bs or other temporary housing for up to two years (source - Shared Health Foundation). Families with children end up in temporary accommodation for a number of reasons – fleeing gang violence or domestic abuse for example. But very often it is related to asylum seeker status.

Due to lack of minimum standards over the provision of a safe and suitable environment for children in temporary accommodation, and with no inspection framework in place, standards in temporary accommodation can drop dangerously low, with crowded and unhygienic conditions causing health and developmental issues for children.

Magpie Project provides a safe and supportive space for mums with children under 5 who are living in temporary and unsafe accommodation in Newham. They work in partnership with local specialist services to provide a holistic range of services within a trauma-informed framework, including supporting families with essential goods including nappies, food and clothing; delivering advice and support across health, housing, welfare, legal advice, employment and training; and crucially, creating an opportunity for children to simply play safely and freely, and for mothers to feel a sense of community in an environment which will not cast judgement on them or on their situation.

Treebeard provides multi-year core funding to the Magpie Project.