Over 1 million households in need of a social home are stuck on long waiting lists according to Shelter

June 11, 2018

One year on from the tragic Grenfell fire and many survivors are still waiting for a new home but new analysis from Shelter reveals the situation is similarly stark right across the country.

Over 1 million households in need of a social home are stuck on long waiting lists, often for years on end. Yet the number of social homes becoming available is extremely low leading to a huge gap.

Shelter’s analysis shows there are 1.15m households on waiting lists but only 290,000 social homes were made available last year, a difference of more than 800,000 homes.

The gap is caused by a lack of new social homes being built and the fact many existing homes are sold off through right-to-buy without the receipts being used to replace these homes, like-for-like.

Despite the capital’s acute housing shortage, only six of the local authorities with the biggest gaps are in London showing that this problem is nationwide having spread to places such as Brighton, Blackpool and Strood.

Polly Neate, CEO of Shelter, said: “The fact that one year on from Grenfell, some survivors are still homeless has totally shaken people’s trust in the safety net the state supposedly provides. And this is despite them being ‘fast-tracked’ outside the usual waiting list system, too. “Imagine then, how frustrating life must be for the millions of people elsewhere in the country who have been stuck on waiting lists, often for years on end. This is not just confined to London but happening right across the country, from Brighton to Blackpool. Families are unable to get settled and unable to get on with their lives.

“The Grenfell tragedy must mark a turning point in our nation’s approach to social housing and its tenants – we clearly need a bold new plan for social housing so families are not condemned to waiting lists but given safe, secure and affordable housing as quickly as possible.”

Read the Shelter report posted 8th June 2018 in full click here.

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

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