Triple Threat to Housing on Funding, Welfare and Public Perception

A lack of funding, the impact of welfare reform and little public interest in social housing is the triple threat facing housing professionals working in the UK, according to a survey of Guardian Housing Network members. Polling members and readers of the network, the survey found that housing staff are torn over the most pressing of the problems they face. Welfare reform and changes to housing benefit payments was perceived as the biggest problem by 29% of professionals, while 27% pointed to the dearth of funding for new development. A further 16% warned that a lack of public interest in housing issues was holding back the formulation of new policies to tackle the sector's problems. Despite the publication of the government's housing strategy in November, 72% of respondents insisted the government does not have a set of coherent policies in place to tackle the housing crisis. Read more on the Guardian website.