Poor Housing Harms Health Of 20% Of Renters In England

Poor housing is harming the health of one in five renters in England, with mould, damp and cold the main triggers of sickness, a major survey by the housing charity Shelter has revealed. Approximately 1.9m households could be suffering physical and mental problems as a result of poor housing conditions as well as uncertainty caused by struggles to pay the rent and repeated evictions, polling of over 3,000 private renters suggests. A quarter of all renters said they were affected by damp and mould and by being unable to heat their homes. They were three times more likely to say housing was harming their health than those without the problems. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/13/poor-housing-harms-health-of-20-of-renters-in-england-says-shelter

Covid Homeless Scheme Not Leading To Permanent Accommodation

Fewer than one in four homeless people housed by the government's Everyone In scheme have moved into permanent accommodation, according to figures seen by the BBC. The initiative provided over 37,000 rough sleepers with a place to stay during the pandemic. But housing charity Shelter warned many were still in temporary homes or may even be back on the streets. The government said the figures were "misleading". Read more on the BBC website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58334379 

One In Seven Adults Worried About Becoming Homeless During Pandemic

A poll of 3,603 people, carried out by YouGov, found that 14% of respondents were worried about becoming homeless because of the economic situation created by the COVID-19 crisis. Private renters were the group most likely to have concerns about becoming homeless, with 27% now fearing losing their home. Almost half (47%) of private renters said the COVID-19 pandemic has made them feel more anxious or depressed about their housing situation compared to 26% of the general public. Shelter’s research also found that 24% of private renters have had to borrow money to pay their rent in the past month. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/one-in-seven-adults-worried-about-becoming-homeless-during-pandemic-survey-finds-69973 

Developers Will Be Able To Build Estates Of 50 Homes Without Any Affordable Housing

Developers will be able to build estates of 50 homes without setting any aside for affordable housing under the Government’s controversial planning reforms, a coalition of charities has warned. In a letter to the Telegraph, the chief executives of Shelter and CPRE, the countryside charity, argue that the plans should be scrapped because they do not deliver the type of housing that “communities are crying out for". Research has shown that in rural and affluent areas, affordable housing could fall by half under the proposals put forward by ministers last month. Read more on Yahoo News.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/planners-able-build-estates-50-160359417.html?guccounter=1

Ten-Year Grant Programme Could ‘Unlock A Substantial Increase’ In Housing Delivery

Doubling the duration of the Affordable Homes Programme to 10 years could lead to a “substantial” increase in housing delivery and would enable housing associations to increase their land-led development activity, new research has found. A report commissioned by the Consortium of Associations in the South East (CASE), the National Housing Federation (NHF) and Shelter found that a move to longer term funding would change housing associations’ land-purchasing behaviour and the types of sites they choose to take on. Under a 10-year grant programme, housing associations could buy more sites without planning permission and tackle larger and more complex sites, the report argued. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/ten-year-grant-programme-could-unlock-a-substantial-increase-in-housing-delivery-67887?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Coronavirus Slump Could Delay Building Of 300,000 Homes

More than 300,000 planned new homes may remain on the drawing board over the next five years, deepening the UK’s housing crisis, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, new research predicts. Stalled construction and the recession will slash the number of new homes being built, with 85,000 predicted to be lost this financial year, according to a study by the property agency Savills with the housing charity Shelter. Construction of the cheapest social housing could fall to a “catastrophic” low of 4,300 units annually. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/30/coronavirus-slump-could-delay-building-of-300000-homes

Discounted Housing Scheme Out Of Reach Of Most First-Time Buyers

A high-profile housing scheme offering first-time buyers discounted homes will be unaffordable to the vast majority of workers on average or low incomes. The First Homes scheme has been described by ministers as “genuinely life-changing for people all over the country”. However, new analysis suggests it will be out of the reach of average earners in 96% of England. Research by Shelter found that, in almost all parts of England, someone on an average salary or lower could not afford to buy one of these new-build homes. It also shows that almost two-thirds (63%) of private renters in England have no savings at all for a deposit. Read more on the Observer website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/16/first-homes-scheme-unaffordable-most-buyers

RSLs Among Biggest Beneficiaries Of Temporary Accommodation Contracts

Three current RSLs are named among the biggest beneficiaries of a “billion-pound-a-year temporary accommodation industry” exposed by a joint investigation between Shelter and BBC Panorama. Shelter says the stats as a whole show a need for the government to prioritise “a new generation of social homes” in the upcoming budget. A2 Dominion, Notting Hill Genesis, and Network Homes were together recipients of more than £16m from councils in 2018/19 over temporary accommodation in 2018/19. The panorama programme can be found on the iplayer website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000f1wr/panorama-cashing-in-on-the-housing-crisis

Two Million Renters In England Made Ill By Housing Worries

Almost one in four private renters – equivalent to two million adults – have felt physically ill or sick because of housing problems or worries in the last year. That’s the latest findings from Shelter and YouGov, revealing the dramatic impact that housing worries like affording rent, poor conditions, and the threat of eviction are having on people’s mental and physical health. According to reports, 45% of private renters (or 3.8 million adults) have experienced stress and anxiety as a direct result of their housing concerns, with nearly one in three (2.8 million adults) saying this has kept them awake at night. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/two-million-renters-in-england-made-ill-by-housing-worries/

Shelter Chief Calls Out Chancellor Over Homeless Numbers

Shelter chief executive Polly Neate strengthened the case for more social housing in calling Chancellor Sajid Javid out over his calculations on homelessness numbers – exposed as not adding up. “When the Chancellor of the Exchequer says that homelessness has halved since 2008, it’s important to highlight this as inaccurate,” said Neate. In a round of interviews, Javid said homelessness reached its peak in 2008 under the last Labour government and had fallen by half since. By that logic Javid maintained Labour was responsible for the massive rise in homelessness. His ‘logic’ was humiliatingly exposed by subsequent fact checks. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/shelter-chief-calls-out-chancellor-over-calculations-on-homeless-numbers/

Lack Of Political Focus On Elderly Housing Could ‘Cost UK Billions’

A lack of political action on elderly housing could “cost the UK billions” if not properly addressed, Lord Richard Best has said. With social care being provided increasingly in the home, it is estimated that some 400,000 ‘lifetime homes’ are now required to meet the demands of an ageing population. According to Shelter, there are currently over two million older people living in non-decent properties. And the Local Government Association forecast the number of over-65s whose day-to-day activities are significantly limited will reach three million by 2025, a rise of almost 30%. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/lack-of-political-focus-on-elderly-housing-could-cost-uk-billions/

Benefit-Rent Gap For Poorest Tenants Widens To £113 A Month

Benefit cuts mean Britain’s poorest private tenants are having to find an average of £113 a month to meet a shortfall between their housing benefit payments and their rent, putting many at risk of poverty and homelessness. Official data obtained by housing charity Shelter found that London renters on full benefits faced the widest rent gap in cash terms, needing to find an average of £211.94 a month, followed by £139.66 in the east of England and £138.23 in the south-east of England. Around 370,000 low-income households renting privately in Britain, including more than 100,000 families with children, struggle financially because housing allowances lag so far behind rents as a result of the benefit freeze. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/dec/02/benefit-rent-gap-for-poorest-tenants-widens-to-113-a-month

Child Homelessness Figures Branded ‘Shameful’ Under Tory Government

The rise in child homelessness figures under a Conservative government is ‘shameful’, according to Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Housing, Tim Farron. As reported by 24housing, 135,000 children in Britain are homeless and living in temporary accommodation – the highest figure in 12 years, according to a report by Shelter. The report also highlighted the 5,683 homeless families with children currently living in emergency B&Bs and hostels – with some London boroughs seeing every one in 12 children as homeless. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/child-homelessness-figures-branded-shameful-under-tory-government/

Shelter Chief Executive Calls For Mass Construction Of Social Housing

Shelter’s chief executive has called for the building of more social housing to remedy rising levels of poverty and homelessness and the ever-increasing cost of the £21bn Housing Benefit bill. Polly Neate stated that social housing is the “only moral way” for the UK to deliver the homes it needs and reduce poverty and destitution. She said: “I think we’re at a tipping point now…particularly in our major cities…with the sheer scale of people sleeping on the streets – nobody is born to die in that situation. “It’s a national emergency with a clear solution.” Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/shelter-chief-executive-calls-for-mass-construction-of-social-housing/

Temporary Accommodation Costs Councils Over £1bn In Just One Year

Councils have spent just over £1bn on temporary accommodation over a single year, new stats show. The government-released figures reveal more than 30% of the total – £344m – was spent on emergency B&Bs. Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said the stats were “shocking but entirely preventable” and meant social housing must be at the heart of every manifesto. “And all parties must to commit to at least 90,000 new social homes a year over the next parliament – if they don’t, all of us will pay an even higher price,” said Neate. Overall council spending on B&Bs has increased by 111% in the last five years. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/temporary-accommodation-costs-councils-over-1bn-in-just-one-year/

Shelter Wants All-Parties Commitment To 90,000 Social Rent Homes A Year

Shelter wants an all-parties election manifesto commitment to delivering at least 90,000 social rent homes a year over the next parliament, as the charity releases new stats showing as many as nine in ten private renters now face years on waiting lists. The charity’s analysis of the latest government data shows there were nearly 500,000 privately renting households on council waiting lists last year, but fewer than 43,000 private renters moved into a social rent home during that same period. And the true scale of need among private renters is probably far greater than these figures suggest, with many cutting back on food or skipping meals completely. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/shelter-wants-all-parties-commitment-to-90000-social-rent-homes-a-year/

Survey Shows Social Housing Could Unify Post Brexit UK

Government’s getting it wrong on home ownership when it could pitch a post-Brexit unifier in the building of more council homes, a new survey shows. The YouGov survey, commissioned by Shelter, found that increasing the supply of social homes for rent was the top housing demand among ‘Leaver’ Labour supporters. But that’s before Labour got there first with a conference policy commitment in principle to building 155,000 social rented council homes a year over 20 years – towards that 3m. Shelter’s subsequent analysis of the YouGov poll found that while the Tories have prioritised homeownership for a long time, there are political gains for the party over social housing. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/survey-shows-social-housing-could-unify-post-brexit-uk/

Labour To Build 155,000 Social Rented Homes A Year

A motion to the Labour Party conference has committed the party to a policy of building 155,000 social rented council homes a year – with immediate effect when in Government. And conference could also back councils having the powers and resources to take housing associations under direct council control. The housebuilding motion references Shelter’s ‘A Vision for Social Housing’ report identifying a need for 3.1 million new social rented homes over the next 20 years – an average of 155,000 per year. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/motion-commits-labour-to-building-155000-social-rented-homes-a-year/

760,000 Renting Families One Pay Cheque Away From Losing Home

With little or no savings to fall back on, 45% of private renters in England could not afford to pay their rent for more than a month if they lost their job, new research from Shelter shows. Surviving from one pay cheque to the next, the Shelter and YouGov study found almost three million private renters could be just one pay cheque away from losing their home. The study shows the situation is particularly bleak for working families with children, with some 760,000 renting families just one pay cheque away from losing their home – with a job loss leaving 550,000 of these families immediately unable to pay rent. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/760000-renting-families-just-one-pay-cheque-away-from-losing-home%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8b/

Household Made Homeless Every Four Minutes In England

The government’s own figures show that a household became homeless every four minutes in England over the past Brexit-dominated year. And the new MHCLG stats also show a new generation of young people and families are being hit by the housing emergency, with 56,440 aged 16 to 24 becoming homeless or threatened with homelessness during the same period. “During a year where Brexit negotiations have totally dominated the political agenda, catastrophic numbers of people have become homeless,” said Shelter chief executive Polly Neate. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/household-made-homeless-every-four-minutes-in-england/