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130,000 families living in one-bed flats, says NHF
More than one in ten children in England are living in overcrowded homes, with 130,000 families squeezed into one-bedroom flats, the National Housing Federation (NHF) claims.
In a new report analysing government data, published today, the body said around 1.3 million children from more than 600,000 families are stuck in overcrowded living conditions.
A poll carried out by ComRes for the NHF found more than one in four children in overcrowded homes have to share a bed with a parent or sibling – affecting up to 368,000 youngsters.
One in four affected adults – as many as 380,000 people – often sleep in kitchens, bathrooms or hallways.
And more than half of parents in overcrowded homes worry their children aren’t coming home because of the cramped conditions, while around half of the children say they struggle to do their homework because of the lack of space, including 14% who find it totally impossible.
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Kate Henderson, chief executive of the NHF, said: “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.
“This is having a huge impact on more than a million children, seriously affecting their start in life.
“For decades, successive governments have failed to invest in social housing and families are paying the price.
“The only way to fix the problem is by building enough social housing, which requires a radical public spending programme – there is simply no other way.”
Overcrowding is defined in the English Housing Survey (EHS) as occurring when a child has to share their bedroom with two or more other children, with a parent or with a teenager of the opposite sex.
According to the 2017/18 EHS, overcrowding in England has hit record levels with around 96,000 more children living in homes which are too small than a decade ago.
The NHF argues that a lack of housing – especially social housing – is the main cause of overcrowding and has called on the government to spend £12.8bn a year delivering 145,000 affordable homes, including 90,000 for social rent.
Just 6,000 homes for social rent were built in 2018/19.
The NHF calculated its figures based on the 2016/17 EHS, defining families as households with one or more dependent children.
ComRes surveyed 102 families living in overcrowded homes.
A government spokesperson 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 if things aren’t right.
“We’ve helped councils and housing associations to speed up the delivery of more homes, including social housing, through our £9bn affordable homes programme – delivering over 430,000 affordable new homes since 2010.”
