{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-post-js","path":"/news/little-village-secures-ukri-grant-for-children-experiencing-homelessness/","result":{"data":{"wpgraphql":{"post":{"title":"Little Village secures UKRI grant for children experiencing homelessness","content":null,"uri":"/little-village-secures-ukri-grant-for-children-experiencing-homelessness/","date":"2026-11-12T16:41:14","postsLayouts":{"postObject":[{"__typename":"WPGraphQL_Post_Postslayouts_PostObject_PostDetail","introduction":"

Thanks to funding by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Little Village will be developing an innovative new programme designed to improve outcomes for young children experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

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More than one-third (37%) of the families supported by Little Village baby banks are experiencing homelessness, temporary accommodation, domestic abuse, trafficking or other severe hardships. Since 2016, Little Village has provided pre-loved clothing, equipment and other essentials more than 68,000 times to babies and children under five living in poverty across London.

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Across England, more than 170,000 children are living in temporary accommodation, often without the stability, space and routines that underpin healthy early childhood development. For many families, frequent moves, overcrowding and unsuitable housing can disrupt sleep, limit opportunities for play and learning, and make it harder for children to reach key developmental milestones before they start school.

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‘Learn Anywhere’ will help families experiencing housing instability create positive home learning environments by providing tailored packs of essential items such as safe sleep bundles, potty training and weaning kits, clothing, books and toys. Combined with practical guidance and signposting to local support services, the programme will support children’s wellbeing, development and readiness for school, wherever families are living.

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Sophie Livingstone MBE, chief executive of Little Village, said: “A child’s development shouldn’t depend on having a permanent address. Yet thousands of children are spending their earliest years in temporary accommodation, where something as basic as a safe place to sleep, access to books and toys, or the chance to establish a routine can be a daily challenge.

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“Learn Anywhere is about making sure children can learn, play and thrive wherever they are living. We are delighted to have secured this funding to develop an ambitious programme that responds to one of the most pressing challenges facing families with young children today.”

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Anne-Marie Canning MBE, Opportunity Mission Challenge Director, at UK Research and Innovation said: “In the UKRI Opportunities Mission we want to back bold ideas grounded in families’ experiences and help turn promising approaches into practical solutions. Little Village’s Learn Anywhere project stood out for it’s focus on ensuring infants and children have the materials they need to enjoy a more positive home learning environment with their parents and carers.”

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Irene Soriano Redondo, evaluation manager at The Policy Institute at Kings College London: “We are delighted to be working with Little Village on Learn Anywhere and to support their important mission to ensure that children and families in insecure housing have the support they need to thrive. Our study will explore how the programme can be robustly evaluated with the aim to generate future evidence about its impact and what works to support children’s development and wellbeing in the context of housing insecurity.”

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The funding comes as part of UKRI’s Opportunity Mission within the Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme. The competition aims to support organisations to develop practical ways to encourage more play and improve access to real-world play opportunities, helping children and young people benefit from the positive impact of play on their development and wellbeing.

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The 12-month project will be delivered in partnership with The Policy Institute at King’s College London, which will lead an independent feasibility study to identify how to best assess the programme’s impact and identify opportunities for future replication.

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