Exposing The Hidden Housing Crisis

A new vision for affordable housing is desperately needed

It has become hackneyed to describe the state of housing in England as a ‘crisis’. For many, the phrase has come to be synonymous with the growing chasm between the average wage and the price of a home.

Yet the plight of those struggling to get on the housing ladder, serious though this is for our society and economy, reflects merely one dimension of the housing crisis in England.

Indeed, while this aspect has received considerable attention from both politicians and the media, there is another – darker – side to the story.

That is, the rise of expensive, insecure and poor-quality housing for families with far less to begin with.

As we show in this report, ‘The Hidden Housing Crisis Exposed’, the collapse in the supply of decent, affordable homes for people living on modest to low incomes has not just made homeownership even less attainable.

It has made it harder to start and maintain healthy families, to thrive in work, and to provide an educational foundation for children.