Shocking homelessness figures, showing that primary‑school children are the worst-affected age group in England, are a reminder of how gravely Conservative housing policies failed – and how desperately change is needed. In London, which has the highest homelessness rate, one in 24 pupils are in temporary accommodation – at least one in every classroom and more in poorer boroughs.
Rough sleeping has also risen, bringing increased risks during cold winter nights. The recent increase in funding for councils, to help them fulfil their homelessness prevention duties, was welcomed by campaigners. But with charity budgets squeezed harder than ever, and with a national insurance rise for employers on the way, there is a real danger that housing problems for the most vulnerable members of society could get worse rather than better.
That 354,000 people in England are officially homeless is a moral outrage. To lack a home is to be without one of the most basic necessities for living. The effect of such chronic insecurity extends beyond the immediate problems it causes (such as overcrowding, disruption of education and lack of privacy in hostels). Housing also affects health and wider life chances. In an article published on Sunday, the poet Jay Bernard said that regret is the legacy of years spent living in precarious conditions – along with heightened recognition of the class differences that grant some people protection.
After many delays, the renters’ rights bill will strengthen the hands of private tenants in dealings with landlords. No-fault evictions are, finally, being outlawed. Belatedly, the government has accepted that the weakly regulated residential property market has been a disaster for too many tenants, while enabling landlords to treat other people’s homes as financial assets.
Loopholes remain to be closed as the bill makes its way through parliament. Unless rules limiting in-tenancy rent rises are put in place, such hikes are all but certain to be used in place of eviction notices, to remove tenants when landlords believe that they can make more money by replacing them. The housing charity Shelter, along with trade unions and others, are pushing for a number of changes that would make such actions harder. Two amendments proposed by the Labour MP Paula Barker, limiting rent rises and strengthening the national register of landlords, ought to be supported by MPs.
Ministers have ambitious plans for housebuilding – which is essential to enable young people without inherited wealth to become homeowners. Initial targets are likely to be missed, due in part to the lack of a suitable workforce, and ministers need to address this urgently. If homelessness is to be reduced, they must also be robust in prioritising the needs of social renters. Developers must not be allowed to prioritise so-called luxury properties over the less profitable but still high-quality homes that people with lower incomes need.
It is hard to quantify the extent to which housing insecurity has contributed to chronic and mental poor health. But there is no question that there are links. Homelessness is harmful – as pretty much everyone instinctively knows. Civil society efforts to alleviate the suffering it causes should be championed. But charities cannot solve this issue on their own. It is for ministers to put pressure on developers and landlords. Homeless people sometimes have other problems, too, but what the vast majority need more than anything else is an affordable home.
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