People on lowest incomes being denied access to social housing, research finds
The poorest people in England are being denied access to social housing owing to their low income, in a “catch-22” situation that is pushing more people into homelessness, research has found.A new report from Crisis said that an ever depleting supply of social homes meant that housing associations were using strict criteria to choose new tenants, and people on low incomes and in receipt of benefits were having applications denied due to being deemed too risky.The situation has been compared to “rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic” by one housing association, as the homelessness charity urged the government to introduce new rules.“Ultimately, people are in a catch-22 situation where they’re looking to move into a social rent home, and they’re basically told no because of their financial circumstances.But where else can people live?” said Francesca Albanese, executive director of policy and social change.
A third of surveyed housing associations said tenancy affordability checks – which look at how much money a prospective tenant has – had led to people being denied an offer of a social home,Nearly a quarter also said that households below a certain income threshold were sometimes excluded from the housing register in their area,This means that people are being denied a social home due to fears they will not be able to keep up with their living costs, and the report found 71% of housing associations said the benefit restrictions were a key reason for this,Concerns around the benefit cap, which is a limit on the total amount of money a working-age household can receive in certain benefits, and the freeze on housing benefit were frequently cited as reasons why more affordability checks were being done,People with more complex needs were also more likely to be denied a home, the research found, due to concerns they wouldn’t be able to sustain a tenancy.
“Housing associations are more wary in terms of taking on risk and clearly welfare reform is part of that,” said Albanese.“They also don’t want to take on applicants with high vulnerability, if they can’t support them, because they are worried about tenancy sustainment.”Many surveyed housing associations said they felt the scale of housing need in their area was so overwhelming, they were no longer sure that an allocations system could “meaningfully prioritise” applicants.Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionThe findings are based on a survey of housing associations across Britain, led by Crisis, Heriot-Watt University and the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence.Crisis called on the government to adopt a Scottish-style system, where housing associations are legally obliged to rehouse homeless households.
No such obligation exists in England.In England, 27% of new social lettings are allocated to homeless households, compared to 54% in Scotland.The charity also said welfare benefits need to be brought in line with the real cost of rent and essentials, and the government needs to urgently prioritise social housebuilding.Matt Downie, the chief executive of Crisis, said: “The fundamental aim of social housing is to provide a safe and stable home for people on the lowest incomes.If people cannot afford social housing, where do they go?“The reckless depletion of our social housing stock, alongside cuts to state support, has put English housing associations into an impossible position where they are forced to refuse access to people in precarious, vulnerable situations.
”A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Governmentspokesperson said: “The housing crisis we inherited has left us without the social and affordable homes we desperately need, pushing people into housing insecurity and contributing to record levels of homelessness.“We’re taking decisive action to fix this by investing £1bn to tackle homelessness, and building the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation – backed by a record £39bn investment.We will set out further action to tackle these issues in our homelessness strategy, which we will publish later this year.”
A better understanding of mental ill health is crucial | Letters
As a psychotherapist with child and adolescent mental health services, I welcome Wes Streeting’s change of heart on his comments about the “overdiagnosis” of mental health conditions, ADHD and autism (I realise now that my view on mental health overdiagnosis was divisive. We all need better evidence, 4 December). Political point-scoring has no place in public health.By setting up this taskforce, Streeting acknowledges the complexity of the picture and that conversations must be led by research, where science and suffering can be held together.The increase in reported mental health problems and neurodevelopmental diagnoses, and services not keeping pace, reflect what many clinicians see every day – people are in more distress and unable to access support
Rock star: Sasha DiGiulian on making history with a ‘crazy, audacious’ climb of El Capitán
The 33-year-old hit rain, lightning, snow and ice in Yosemite – and still became the first woman to ascend the Platinum routeBig-wall climber Sasha DiGiulian had spent the last three years preparing for a career-defining ascent of one of the most challenging routes up the face of the famed granite cliff known as El Capitán in Yosemite national park. All she and her partner needed was a two-week window of favorable weather. They appeared to get one on 3 November.DiGiulian felt jolts of fear during her training, she said, induced by the sudden 2,600ft of exposure she felt as she rappelled down to practice on the most challenging sections of the iconic California peak. But her nerves calmed when ascending from the base, allowing her to focus more intently on the moves and completing each pitch – a measurement that references a length of the rope that climbers use to secure themselves to the rock
People on lowest incomes being denied access to social housing, research finds
The poorest people in England are being denied access to social housing owing to their low income, in a “catch-22” situation that is pushing more people into homelessness, research has found.A new report from Crisis said that an ever depleting supply of social homes meant that housing associations were using strict criteria to choose new tenants, and people on low incomes and in receipt of benefits were having applications denied due to being deemed too risky.The situation has been compared to “rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic” by one housing association, as the homelessness charity urged the government to introduce new rules.“Ultimately, people are in a catch-22 situation where they’re looking to move into a social rent home, and they’re basically told no because of their financial circumstances. But where else can people live?” said Francesca Albanese, executive director of policy and social change
Local authorities in England and Wales warn finances at ‘breaking point’
Local authorities in England and Wales have warned their finances are at “breaking point” with more councils expected to fall into bankruptcy in future, as they face a nervous wait to discover their government funding this month.Council leaders expect changes to annual funding arrangements will result in steep cuts for many local authorities, preventing many from balancing their books and providing basic services to citizens.Amid a crisis in local authority funding, 29 councils have already been unable to meet their financial obligations without special government loans, including Croydon, Thurrock in Essex and Birmingham.Norfolk county council’s deputy leader for finance, Andrew Jamieson, said the number of local authorities unable to meet their statutory obligations was likely to grow when the government publishes a new funding settlement this month.“We are often accused of crying wolf, but local authorities are reaching breaking point now,” he said
Rules on single-sex spaces pose risk to trans people’s mental health, UK charities say
New rules on access to single-sex spaces could pose a significant risk to the mental health of trans and non-binary people, according to 15 of the UK’s most respected mental charities.Organisations including Samaritans, Mind, Centre for Mental Health and the Royal College of Psychiatrists have written to the equalities minister, Bridget Phillipson, to express their “deep concern” about guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) that is awaiting approval from the government.The letter says the guidance could “deepen existing inequalities and pose significant risk to the mental health of trans and non-binary people across UK”.It says: “Mental health services should be places of refuge, not risk, and equality protections must strengthen, not erode, the conditions that enable people to feel safe and supported.”The EHRC is waiting for ministers to approve its official guidance on how public bodies, businesses and other service providers should respond to the supreme court’s ruling in April that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex
Spiteful or fair? Reeves’s mansion tax plan proves divisive | Letters
Jonathan Liew’s article (Won’t somebody please think of Britain’s poor £2m homeowners? Oh, wait – everyone already is, 2 November) entirely misses the point that underlies the spate of criticism against the “mansion tax”. While wealth disparity is no doubt an issue that needs to be addressed, this tax is a spiteful assault on hard-working taxpayers who already pay an enormous proportion of their salary to the Treasury to support a woefully mismanaged public sector and welfare state. Those who support the tax seem to be driven by a simple ideology that we need to “bash the rich” to create equality.In the real world, this tax penalises hard-working families who have made difficult choices and made huge sacrifices to get to where they are. I come from a working-class background, I worked hard at school and achieved good grades, I worked part-time jobs, paid my own way through university and chose a profession that pays well, relocating to London and making sacrifices to earn good money – spending 18 hours a day in the office – and I chose to buy property and invest in it
Australia is facing its shortest rate cut cycle in 30 years as the RBA hints it may have to start hiking
UK households cut spending at fastest pace in almost five years, says Barclays
‘I feel it’s a friend’: quarter of teenagers turn to AI chatbots for mental health support
Social media use damages children’s ability to focus, say researchers
F1 2025 awards: Lando Norris justifies favourite tag after gruelling three-way tussle
England dealt fresh Ashes blow with Mark Wood ruled out for rest of series