Shelter Briefing: Cost of Living Crisis and the Housing Emergency

The housing emergency is inextricably linked with the cost-of-living crisis. Hundreds of thousands are struggling to afford to keep a roof over their heads, and we now face a perfect storm of spiralling rents and rising bills that threatens to push many towards the brink of homelessness.

To avoid this the government must:

1. Restore and relink Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to cover at least the cheapest 30% of local rents.

2. Abolish the benefit cap or, at the least, urgently review the level.

3. Review the data used to determine LHA particularly whether it is an accurate reflection of the cost of modest homes.

4. In the long term, invest in a new generation of social housing with rents pegged to local income.