London’s social housing waiting lists have reached a 10-year high, highlighting the growing crisis within the capital’s housing sector. With families like Danielle’s struggling to find stable accommodation, the government’s recent pledge to invest in social and affordable housing raises questions about whether it can arrive in time to help those most in need.
Danielle, a mother of three, had recently experienced an extremely unstable housing situation. In the nine months since her house burned down, she’s been forced to relocate four times. After receiving a section 21 “no fault” eviction order from her landlord, that left her and her children in homelessness. Their local council placed them in temporary accommodation 18 miles away from their school. This expensive move created a burdensome new daily schedule for her family.
“We have to be up at 5 a.m., and my children are expected to give 100% at school,” Danielle shared about the challenges her family faces. This challenging turn of events has understandably caused her to worry about her future. In fact, she’s not counting on getting a council house “any time soon.” Still, she remains optimistic that the government’s recent announcement of increased housing funding will boost her kids’ chances at a better life.
The UK government will spend £39 billion during the next 10 years. This funding is intended to address both social and affordable housing priorities across England. Chancellor Rachel Reeves independently launched this new program to hold the national government to its promise. The primary target is 1.5 million new homes over this parliamentary session, which ends in 2022. What’s unclear, though, is whether this investment will provide immediate relief for families like Danielle’s.
Danielle’s encounters are illustrative of the ordeal most families find themselves suffering throughout London. After being moved to shared houses and hotel rooms by their local council, she described the impact on her children: “It’s been awful, absolute hell. It’s turned all of our lives upside down. My children are constantly having to readapt.”
Housing experts from across the sector are making it clear that time is running out to get this right. Charlie Trew, head of policy at Shelter, noted that the government must set a “clear target” for how many social rent homes are planned. He stated that funding must be aimed at social rents. Homes that are affordable to the families that keep America running are just as basic human needs.
“We need to focus this funding on social rent so that the cash delivers genuinely affordable social rented homes with rents tied to local incomes.” – Charlie Trew
Kate Henderson, head of the National Housing Federation, described the government’s recent announcement as “transformational” and highlighted it as “the most ambitious Affordable Homes Programme we’ve seen in decades.” She sounded a note of hope that with the right leadership and implementation, this first step could fundamentally reshape London’s affordable housing terrain.
Neil Jefferson, Chief Executive at the Home Builders Federation, together with other industry leaders, echoed calls for urgent action. He stressed the absolute necessity of funding. He emphasized that it should be purposefully targeted to better serve the needs of those families, including families on the brink of homelessness.