Shelter responds to the Chancellor's cost of living support package announcement
Posted 27 May 2022
Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter said: “Millions of people across the country will be breathing a sigh of relief following the Chancellor’s package of support. Cash to keep the lights on and put food on the table is vitally important, but so is keeping a roof over your head – and one-off support payments won’t last that long.
“Private rents have reached record highs, yet housing benefit remains frozen at 2020 levels. Almost two million private renters now rely on housing benefit yet it’s lagging dangerously behind the real cost of rent. Families face an annual shortfall of £540 on average for a modest two-bedroom rented home – with many dipping into money meant for essentials like food or heating just to keep a roof over their head. It’s no wonder tenants live in daily fear of losing their home.
“Allowing homelessness to rise will cost the government a lot more in the long-run, and ruin countless lives along the way. The government needs to go beyond these one-off payments and reverse the housing benefit squeeze – it’s the only way to keep more people in their homes during the cost-of-living crisis.”
ENDS