Residents' experiences of emergency and temporary accommodation in Hastings

During early 2026 Healthwatch East Sussex staff and volunteers spoke to 19 individuals living in Emergency and Temporary Accommodation (ETA) sites in Hastings. This included families with young children, older people with health conditions and people from different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, who had come to live in ETA either after becoming at risk of becoming homeless, or living on the streets.

Although ETA is a temporary solution to people being unhoused, for many people, it does not feel temporary. Around half of the residents we spoke to had been living in ETA for over a year. Some residents described feeling ‘stuck’ in ETA, due to a combination of factors, with little hope of finding alternative longer-term housing. 

While most people found living in ETA challenging for many reasons, almost all residents spoken to gave positive feedback about their current ETA site, particularly praising the staff and site managers for being supportive and helpful, offering a listening ear and guidance on how to navigate the complexities of the housing system. 

This is not to say there weren’t concerns raised by residents. The most common related to the no-visitors rule applied in ETA, which many found isolating. Residents described homelessness and living in ETA as ‘stressful’ and ‘isolating’ due to anxiety about their circumstances and uncertainty about the future. Over two thirds (68%) of residents said they struggled with their mental health, with several telling us living in ETA had negatively affected their mental health and wellbeing.

Healthwatch heard that arrival in ETA may be better managed so that people are provided with clear and robust information on how living there works, especially in relation to the charges that are levied to residents and the implications of these not being paid, but also on the support that is available and how to access it. 

While all the residents who took part said they had accessed health or social care services in the past year, many experienced barriers, particularly the availability and cost of transport to and from healthcare appointments, lack of access to digital systems due to costs of phone/internet services (on which services increasingly rely) and long waiting lists for diagnosis and treatment. For some people these barriers had a negative impact on their health and wellbeing, affecting their ability to access important appointments and medication.

Although people told of challenges accessing healthcare services whilst living in ETA, Healthwatch did see good examples of people being discharged from hospital into ETA settings following an inpatient stay, suggesting effective discharge processes were operating and providing people with suitable accommodation. 

Other concerns centred on how residents were supported by the Housing Department. Most residents reported little contact with Housing Officers, with one person telling us they feet “abandoned”. They also reported they did not feel the Housing Department offered enough information and support around moving on from ETA. Although this was not the case with everyone, with three people secure moves to permanent accommodation during the research period.