If everything had risen at the same rate as housing our lives would be untenable. A dozen eggs would cost £9.30, a bunch of bananas £7.86 and a pack of button mushrooms £8.49*. You can imagine the cost of a weekly shop.
We couldn’t and wouldn’t accept it. Yet we do when it comes to housing, even though the effects are just as crippling. It’s now reached a point where it doesn’t just influence, but dictates, virtually every decision we make – from our choice and place of work to when we have children.
It establishes rifts within society between the housing haves and have-nots.The situation can’t go on and now is the perfect time to demand action from politicians.
Take action to fight for affordable housing:
- Tell us how unaffordable housing is affecting you.
- Email your MP. You can use our template or draft your own message.
- Sign up as an e-campaigner
- Spread the word. More than anything, we need people to care, lots of people. Join our Facebook and Twitter groups, tell everyone you know, get the conversation started.
Comments
It gets so very cold at night and it seems quite impossible to ever buy a home or even find an affordable place to rent. UK planning laws prevent homes being built yet there is so much land. The last government did not do much to provide affordable housing and this one seems even worse. I appreciate the work of shelter so much. You are the only light and warmth in this cold and socially remote country. Thank you so much.
Posted by Paul Bright on 10 Aug 2010 at 10:52pm
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I'm dreading finishing university, I've only got one year left and then I doubt I'll be ab;e to stay living away from home without my student loan, I've got my friends here, I've got a few friends wanting to set up buisness with me, but if I have to move back home it will all be for nothing. Even so I still count myself lucky, a good friend of mine can't afford a house now, my landlord threw him out when I let him stay over here a few nights even though I was the only one in a 5 room house, and even when the others move in theres still an empty room. What kind of place do we live in where that kind of thing can happen, and my friends end up with nowhere to live but a borrowed tent.
Posted by Jess on 08 Aug 2010 at 12:05am
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One solution to the problem will be to impose rent control in the private sector (especially in London). The cap in housing benefit and the short term in affordable housing tenancy is not going to promote social mobility, but social segretation; where most people will have to live in outer boroughs and communte longer hours to work. I guess this happens because Cameron does not have ever face any financial trouble and does not know how the real people manages. But shame to the Lib-Dem for not taking action, as they are already corrupted by the power.
Posted by Nikki on 04 Aug 2010 at 7:03pm
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I cannot believe the tories new proposals , i am adequately housed , but my daughter and granddaughter are in private rented accommodation , I work in welfare rights and do calculations for people and basically if you are in private rented accommodation or trying to buy these days, the poverty trap gets people if you need housing benefit the rate seems to work out for most people that they will be £30-50 a week better off for working, then after that you are deemed to have too much excess income , most people find that the first £30 is swallowed up in expenses associated with work, the rest either gets lost in childcare costs or having some kind of luxury like using gas electric and not sitting in the cold as i certainly did when my kids were small. We need a revolution in housing provision but plastic tory boy Cameron's proposal's are Dickension. perhaps we should propose that his mummy and daddy move out of their home to make way for all the really angry people who will be looking to share rooms when the propsals kick in perhaps they could rent a room to Jessica, sorry Jessica
Posted by shanti on 04 Aug 2010 at 12:16am
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I LIVE IN A RENT HOUSE THE WINDOWS NEED REPLACEING THE LANNLORD KEEP SAYININ HE GOING TO DO THEM BUT DOSE NOT THIS HAS BEEN GOING GOING FOR 3 YEARS HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME AND MY WIFE THANK YOU.JOHN
Posted by JOHN.ROBERT.ELLIS on 02 Aug 2010 at 12:49pm
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@ alexa you must be really strugglin renting in london. i'm relatively lucky. a private arrangement between me and dad - a psychologist - pay him only £200/mth, plus £700 debts, bills, petrol and food. live north west england but still a struggle as of this week only earn £1300/mth (£16,000/yr) yes it north=west but still struggle. me, hubbie, 7 yr old daughter. my dad and mum moved up with me and brother 30 yrs ago, to caton,,,a village 4 miles outside lancaster. dad bought the 3-bed semi for £20k in 1979. it now worth maybe 200K maybe more? me and dad shared mortgage 2-up 2-down in lovely part of lancaster. cost £120K four yr ago. my friend paid £130k for 7 bed house in morecambe neraby. difficult area. gorgeous house she v creative, but would NEVER live that area REALLY rough. my area nice but small house x
Posted by claire on 30 Jul 2010 at 1:26am
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kerri i feel like i want to help. i live with my hubbie in lancaster. daughter hannah 7 in october. for just £60/wk wud let u have partial use of our comfy sofa and partial use of our converted cellar (no window but portable heater, and its damp=proof, carpeted, got plug socket too. even freezer and desk)! we wud even consider letting u have our double bedroom and we would sleep in front room. but wud need £75/week to pay for sofa bed for us. due to health reasons i've had to give up my job as higher level teaching assistant, so off work for 6- 9mths. so we need the income too. please reply if interested x
Posted by claire maher on 30 Jul 2010 at 1:10am
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Hi my name is Kerry I'm 22 and for the past 3years I have been homeless yet I have continued to keep a job the hole time I have been on the councel list for over a year with no luck phoned loads of places for help but know one will help me unless I am claiming benifits have a child or drug/mental problems, currently I am staying on the sofa of a crack user wondering should I quit my job get pregnant jack up then maybe I can get some help. And people wonder why there is so much problems with crime and drug use. If I don't have some where to live soon I'm scared what I might do :,(
Posted by Kerry on 28 Jul 2010 at 10:02am
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Having lived in care for most of my childhood I really struggle when it comes to stability but last year I found the perfect 'affordable' housing that meant for the first time in my entire life, I was finally able to start climbing the ladder, the trouble was the council refused a resedency licence to the landlord and so myself and the other twenty or so families living in the other mobile homes were forced out. The council said they would rehouse everyone but when it came to the crunch I, being a single part time father was left once again to fend for myself on the streets. With christmas and the harsh winter looming and with no alternative accomadation available within my benefits budget I had no choice but to rent from a private landlord if only to provide continuing contact with my young daughter, this however plunged me immediatly into debt with half of my benefit being spent on topping up the rent. I starved to make sure contact continued until I could starve no more, then I stopped paying the top up and ate and continued contact. Next month repossesion proceedings will commence and I am back on the streets, this time I won't have the money for deposits etc and so contact is set to cease. How lucky are we to have had a succession of responsible governments who continually say they really cares about the future of Britian? One day we might get one that means it.
Posted by Will on 27 Jul 2010 at 9:47pm
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Posted by Susan Hayward (www.residentsassociations.co.uk) on 15 Aug 2010 at 8:49pm
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