Supporting the national #PlanForHousing campaign

The campaign is being run in the lead up to the next general election and calls for all political parties to commit to a long-term plan for social housing to end the housing crisis for good.

According to the NatFed, there are 8.5 million people in England who can’t access the housing they need, and this includes 2 million children living in overcrowded, unaffordable or unsuitable homes.

NatFed published a ‘Why we need a long-term plan for housing’ report’ last summer and is now running the #PlanForHousing campaign to gain support from all political parties.

The Federation has commissioned research which it says shows that things will get worse, unless action is taken:

• The number of children living in temporary accommodation will rise from 131,000 to 310,000 by 2045.
• Social housing waiting lists will grow to 1.8 million households by 2045 – an increase of more than 50%.
• By 2045, 5.7 million households will be paying a third of their income on housing costs.
• Demand for homes frequently outstrips supply and the cost of construction has increased significantly. These factors, coupled with household costs rising across the board, mean that homelessness is set to accelerate unless a housing plan is introduced. The amount of people experiencing homelessness could more than double, reaching 620,000 by 2045.
• There is a shortage of homes suitable for their occupants, whether that’s not having handrails, ramps, stair lifts, adapted bathrooms or a lack of other adjustments. By 2045, around 2.3 million people will be in poorly suited homes and there will be a 350,000-home shortfall of retirement and supported housing.

NatFed is calling for a long-term plan which delivers real change for the people who need it most, transforming the housing system and create lasting solutions that serve people, the planet and the country’s economy. It says that a long-term plan could do the following by 2035:

• Fix child homelessness
• Halve overcrowding
• Provide the security of a social home for one million more people
• Ensure a warm and decent home for seven million more families
• Improve affordability
• Boost productivity by ensuring every region has the homes it needs to grow.

In the run up to the general election, we will be adding our support by sharing information from the NatFed’s campaign to help raise awareness of issues.

Some of our staff are photographed above with campaign banners showing their support for the campaign.