- Over 10 per cent of children in overcrowded homes
- Report calls for Government intervention
New research which reveals that more than one in ten children in England are living in overcrowded homes, while hundreds of thousands are in temporary accommodation, highlights the impact of the housing crisis on families.
According to a report, Overcrowding in England, from the National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations in England, around 1.3 million children from more than 600,000 families are stuck in overcrowded homes because there is nowhere else for them to live. This is an increase of around 96,000 children compared to a decade ago.
Homes are said to be overcrowded if a child has to share their bedroom with two or more other children, sleep in the same room as their parents, or share with a teenager of the opposite sex.
At the same time, research by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, suggests that 210,000 children are living in temporary housing, including converted office blocks and shipping containers as well as B&Bs (see box).
As part of its research, the National Housing Federation (NHF) surveyed 102 households. The findings were scaled up to reflect the total number of families living in overcrowded homes in this country.
The findings show:
- Just under half of children in overcrowded homes share a bedroom with their parents – this could affect as many as 627,000 children.
- In more than a quarter of overcrowded homes, children share a bed with a parent or sibling – this could affect as many as 368,000 children.
- More than a quarter of parents in overcrowded homes often sleep in kitchens, bathrooms or hallways – this could affect as many as 380,000 people.
The NHF says the main cause of overcrowding is the ‘stark lack’ of housing in England, especially social housing, which means growing families have nowhere affordable to move to.
It claims the country needs around 145,000 new social homes every year, including 90,000 for social rent. Last year, only 6,000 social-rented homes were built as a result of sharp Government cuts to funding for new social housing in 2010.
The NHF wants the Government to invest £12.8 billion every year for the next decade in building homes, kick-starting a nationwide housebuilding boom of around 145,000 new social homes to rent and shared ownership properties to buy every year.
CASE STUDY
Clare, aged 66, lives in a one-bedroom flat in east London. Two years ago, her 30-year-old daughter was made homeless, along with her three children (aged nine, five and two). They had to move into Clare’s home, where they have been living ever since. Now, two of the children sleep in Clare’s bedroom – including one in her bed – while her daughter and her youngest child sleep on the sofa in the living room.
Clare said, ‘It’s been so hard on all of us. All my daughter and her children could do was move in with me, and now they’re stuck here. There’s just nowhere else for them to go.
‘Being so overcrowded affects the whole family. No-one has enough space, so it gets really stressful. Our health is worse, the children’s education is suffering – I’m really worried about it.
‘My daughter and her family need somewhere affordable to move to. The Government needs to step in and do something to help people like us.’
Comments
Kate Henderson, chief executive of the NHF, said, ‘This research shows yet another devastating impact of the broken housing market. All across the country, whole families squeeze into one-bedroom flats, children sleep three to a bed, and parents are forced to spend their night in the kitchen or a hallway.
‘The only way to fix the problem is by building enough social housing, which requires a radical public spending programme.’
Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said, ‘It’s a sad state of affairs when our lack of social homes forces so many families with children to grow up in impossibly cramped conditions.
‘Overcrowding is far more severe than young siblings sharing a bedroom – we’re seeing whole families squashed into one room, parents sleeping in kitchens and children who don’t even have a bed of their own.
‘A safe and decent home is a fundamental human need and a cornerstone of stability in a child’s life. This is why we need action now. To reverse the damage being done, the new Government must prioritise building three million more genuinely affordable social homes that meet the needs of local families.’
A Government spokesman said, ‘No child should have to live in an overcrowded or unsafe flat – that’s why we’ve strengthened tenants’ rights so they can hold landlords to account.
‘Our £9 billion affordable homes programme has delivered over 430,000 affordable new homes since 2010.’
Children’s commissioner research
The report from the Children’s Commissioner, entitled Bleak Houses, estimates there are between 550,000 and 600,000 children in England who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Of those, more than 210,000 are living in temporary accommodation and around 90,000 are ‘sofa-surfing’ families.
A further 375,000 children are living in households that are behind on rent or mortgage payments, says the report.
School case-study
A primary school in Harlow has had to employ a counsellor to provide support to children attending the school who live in one of the area’s office block conversions.
According to the head teacher of Tanys Dell Primary School, Bernadette Miele, many of the children living at the conversion, Templefields House, have been added to the school’s safeguarding log due to the multiple and complex issues faced by their families.
She says Templefields itself creates further safeguarding concerns. Harlow Council has reported instances of drug use and drug dealing, misuse of alcohol and domestic abuse at the site. Children living in the converted office block also have nowhere to play, except in the corridors, as the only open spaces are car parks.
To ensure support is in place for children living at the site, Ms Miele has hired a counsellor and put in place additional academic help for those who need it. School staff are also required to make visits to Templefields in cases of non-attendance.
While the head teacher says Pupil Premium funding helps with the additional cost of support, not all parents are able to apply.