'Levelling Up' without social housing could escalate Plymouth’s housing emergency
A new report from homelessness charity Shelter exposes the city's lack of affordable homes
Failure to include social housing in the Government’s upcoming 'levelling up' plan may escalate the housing emergency in Plymouth, a new report by Shelter warns today.
The leading homelessness and housing charity is calling for a commitment from the government to build more social housing to ensure that local people benefit from levelling up plans in their area.
The new report, Levelling Up with Social Housing, looks at the housing emergency through three locations which lack affordable housing: Plymouth, Burnley and Sheffield.
It exposes Plymouth’s lack of affordable quality homes, with 43% of private renters now relying on housing benefit to pay their rent, up from 34% pre-pandemic.
It comes as renters are under more intense pressure than ever this winter, with soaring fuel costs, the £20 cut to universal credit and shorter notice periods for private renters all now in effect.
Shelter is warning that as the government is pouring billions into new projects such as roads, train stations and new town centres through its levelling up agenda, there is a risk that housing costs in these areas will increase.
They add that people who are already struggling to cover their living costs, will be priced out of their areas, ultimately leading to a rise in homelessness.
Current restrictions imposed in Westminster mean Plymouth can’t secure the money it needs to build social homes in the city.
There are currently 7,800 households on the social housing waiting list in Plymouth, but only 24 social homes were built in 2019-20, and just 808 have been built in the last decade.
The report shows how in Plymouth, frequent moves and poor conditions endured by people facing homelessness is causing serious disruption to their lives. This includes families, with the anxiety of changing schools negatively impacting children’s education and mental health.
Shelter is urging the new Secretary for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to take action to ensure that local people will benefit in the growth that comes from levelling up.
It wants arbitrary restrictions on investment to be scrapped so places like Plymouth can get the funding they need to build social housing, as well as investment in infrastructure to be matched pound for pound with investment in social housing under the levelling up agenda - to ensure local people aren’t priced out of their area.
"Housing is definitely the biggest stress in my life"
Katie** is 29 and lives with her partner and three children aged two, 10 and 12. Since moving to Plymouth back in 2015, they’ve struggled to find a safe, secure home that they can afford. Katie and her family have been waiting for a social home for six years.
Katie said: "We got our last house for £750, and the cheapest we could find two years later was £850, so it’s gone up £100 but obviously our money doesn’t increase.
"So, we’re not really having enough money to live on but rents are going up. Housing is definitely the biggest stress in my life. We have to cut back a lot.
"I don’t think we’ll ever get a council house – they say bid as much as you can, but it feels like a waste of time, as we’re always over 100 in the queue. I know it’ll never get to us."
Katie - Shelter case study
_Katie’s name has been changed to protect her identity._**
Vicki Sampson, Hub Manager at Shelter Plymouth, said: "We believe a safe home is a human right, but the pain and desperation our frontline staff see every day shows this is still a long way off.
"This is especially evident in Plymouth, where the last year has seen huge numbers in the private rented sector having to turn to housing benefit to help pay the rent.
"At the root of this crisis is decades of failure to invest in the good quality social homes our local communities so obviously need - meaning there are too many people chasing too few homes.
"What the government needs to know about ‘Levelling Up’ is that without a clear commitment to building social housing specifically, this may prove impossible.
"You cannot solve the housing emergency without building decent homes people can afford to live in.
"A tangible improvement in people’s housing situation would significantly boost living standards, increase opportunities and truly represent levelling up."
Vicki Sampson - Hub Manager at Shelter Plymouth