A century-long shortage of family-sized social housing in certain regions of England has been revealed by a recent study, with charities condemning the situation as a national scandal.
The wait for family-size social housing has risen to over 100 years in parts of England, with charities condemning the situation as a ‘national scandal‘. The analysis from the National Housing Federation (NHF), Crisis, and Shelter found that in 32 local authority areas across England, the wait for a home with at least three bedrooms was longer than 18 years – equivalent to the duration of an entire childhood.
According to a recent report, over 1.5 million households in the UK are waiting for a council house.
The shortage is particularly pronounced for families with three or more children, who require larger homes.
In London alone, there are over 200,000 people on the social housing waiting list.
This shortage can lead to overcrowding, stress, and health problems for families.
The average wait time for a family-sized home is around 10 years, causing many families to rely on temporary accommodations or private rentals.
More than 1.3 million families are on waiting lists for social homes in England, an increase of 37% since 2015. This has led to a record 164,040 children being homeless and stuck in temporary accommodation, double the number in 2012. Housing charities say that families are increasingly having to live in overcrowded conditions, unaffordable private rented homes, or ending up homeless due to the lack of social housing.
According to a recent report, over 1.3 million households in the UK are currently on waiting lists for social housing.
The shortage has been attributed to a combination of factors, including government funding cuts and an increase in demand due to rising rents and housing costs.
Statistics show that every year, approximately 170,000 new households require social housing, yet only 150,000 units are available.
This gap is further exacerbated by the lack of affordable housing options, leaving many individuals and families struggling to find a stable place to live.
Angie, a 44-year-old mother of four, has been on the social housing waiting list for 16 years and is struggling to cope with the situation. She lives in a crowded private rented home in Tower Hamlets, east London, where her children share a bedroom and she sleeps in the living room to give them more space. Angie’s son, aged 17, sleeps in a small box room, while her daughters, aged 15, 12, and seven, are growing up in cramped conditions.
Charities are urging the government to invest in affordable housing and commit to building 90,000 social homes a year to meet demand. The National Housing Federation‘s chief executive, Kate Henderson, said that families are facing ‘damaging temporary homes‘ and that children deserve better. Crisis’s chief executive, Matt Downie, added that it is ‘ludicrous‘ that in some areas of the country, the wait for a social home is more than average life expectancy.
According to a report by Shelter, there are over 1.3 million people on the waiting list for social housing in England alone.
In the UK, it takes an average of 6 years and 9 months to secure a council home.
The shortage is particularly severe in London, where over 50% of households rely on housing benefit.
Statistics also show that 120,000 families are living in temporary accommodation, with many facing poverty and poor health due to inadequate housing conditions.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced plans to inject £2bn into social housing, investing in homelessness services and bringing forward overdue reforms to the right-to-buy scheme. However, charities say that this is not enough and that the government must commit to building social housing at scale to address the crisis.
The wait for family-size social housing has become a national scandal, with families facing devastating conditions due to the lack of affordable homes. Charities are urging the government to take urgent action to fix this crisis, investing in affordable housing and committing to build 90,000 social homes a year to meet demand. The future of these families depends on it.
