Councils are instead having to prioritise short-term solutions which can include putting families in bed and breakfasts - the fastest rising temporary accommodation type over the past decade, a Sky News analysis of government data found.
But the rising number of homeless households in England, driven by a shortage of social or otherwise affordable housing to move on to, means that increasingly this fix is anything but temporary.
A recent Sky News investigation found that children in some parts of England are spending as long as five-and-a-half years on average in temporary accommodation.
MPs said there is a "dire need" for housing reform, with the lack of affordable homes forcing cash-strapped local authorities to haemorrhage their funds on temporary accommodation.
A record number of children are living in B&Bs beyond the legal limit as England's homelessness crisis pushes councils to breaking point.
