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Kate Henderson
Kate Henderson is Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation (NHF), the voice of housing associations in England.
...moreThe housing crisis has many hidden impacts, and it must end now
Coverage of the housing crisis focuses on affordability issues, but there are other equally negative affects. Kate Henderson explains why the government must take action immediately
If you were to ask a member of the public at random about the impact of the housing crisis, they would probably talk about how rising prices mean young people are increasingly unable to buy a home of their own.
They might talk about how, instead, a generation is getting stuck in privately rented flats or is forced to live at home with their parents.
Or they might point out how many more rough sleepers they see now than they did just a few years ago.
Within the housing sector, we would probably talk about the relatively low number of new affordable homes being built, despite the hard work of housing associations, local councils and others. We might talk about historic levels of underinvestment in new social housing.
Or, we might talk about the rising numbers of people stuck in temporary accommodation for years on end, unable to find a permanent home.
But it’s clear that the impacts of the housing crisis go far beyond this, affecting people in ways we can’t immediately see.
A few weeks ago, we launched a new report looking at one of these effects: the scale of overcrowding in England.
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The housing crisis is forcing more and more people into already packed homes, and now we know the true scale of it: 130,000 families are living in one-bedroom flats, as more than 1.3 million children grow up in overcrowded homes.
To be clear, we aren’t talking about twins sleeping in bunk beds, or a family having a garden that’s a bit too small.
This is about children sleeping in the same bedroom – or even the same bed – as their parents or siblings.
“The housing crisis is forcing more and more people into already packed homes”
It’s about adults being forced to sleep in hallways, kitchens or bathrooms because of the lack of space, or children who don’t want to come home at night because of the overcrowded conditions. Living in overcrowding can damage children’s health, education and family life.
As if this wasn’t enough, Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, added to this picture with her own recent report looking at the number of homeless children growing up in England.
She found that 90,000 children were sofa-surfing, while another 120,000 were living in temporary accommodation – including B&Bs, shipping containers or converted office buildings.
Ultimately, all this research adds up to a stark picture of life for thousands of children in the UK. For so many families, their only options are stopgaps, which are just not appropriate for children.
This is a direct result of the housing crisis: the stark shortage of homes, especially good quality homes that people on lower incomes can afford, which drives up prices and forces people into desperate situations.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that, despite the political uncertainty, fixing the housing crisis remains a political priority”
However, there is still a ray of light here. With will and ambition, we can end the housing crisis once and for all. This will give the children hurt by it a decent start in life, unlocking their potential and the potential of their families.
It is our responsibility to ensure that, despite the political uncertainty, fixing the housing crisis remains a political priority.
Bringing the country back together is one of Boris Johnson’s major priorities – and this simply cannot happen if we don’t take steps to tackle the housing crisis which stops so many families from being able to get on in life.
Kate Henderson, chief executive, National Housing Federation
