State of The Nation Report: Poverty, Worklessness and Welfare Dependency in the UK

The Department for Work and Pensions has issued a state of the nation report which set out a comprehensive assessment of poverty in the UK at the start of the new government. There are several direct references to social housing, including;
*Social housing waiting lists have grown by over 70% since 1997
*The rate of worklessness among those in social housing is more than double that of the general population
*3.2 million working‑age households now claim Housing Benefit each week
*Around half of all Housing Benefit claimants, and 40% of working‑age claimants, have been receiving the benefit for over five years
*Expenditure on working‑age Housing Benefit has increased by nearly 40% from £10.4 billion in 1996/97 to £14.2 billion in 2009/10 (both figures in 2009/10 prices)
*53,000 households are dependent on their local authority for housing having been accepted as homeless and placed in temporary accommodation
*Those most at risk of multiple disadvantage in key life stages include families with children living in social housing or rented accommodation.
Download a copy of the report from the Cabinet Office website by clicking on the logo below.