Page 4 - Moravian Messenger May 2019

Housing Poverty
“There is a complex two-way relationship between housing and poverty - the housing system can help to prevent poverty but can also create it.” (JRF, Housing and Poverty, June 2015)
For more than a century the close relationship between poverty and housing in the UK has been recognised. Joseph Rowntree, perhaps best known as the owner of the family chocolate business, was one of a series of eminent 19th Century philanthropists who invested much of their wealth in providing decent homes at low cost to help alleviate poverty and promote health and well- being amongst their workers. After the First World War the government embarked on the 'Homes Fit for Heroes' programme and began building homes for men returning to a post war Britain which could offer few the prospect of economic security. The provision of public housing became a key component of the Welfare State in Britain and an important safety net to help protect people from the impact of poverty if, as a consequence of sickness, low pay, unemployment or old age they were unable to afford a decent home.
As part of his legacy, Joseph Rowntree established a series of trusts concerned with improving understanding of poverty in the UK and developing solutions to tackle its underlying causes. Recent reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) provide growing evidence that far from protecting people, the housing system is now a contributory factor to rising poverty levels in Britain.
Key observations on the last decade:
• Poverty levels in the UK are rising with an estimated 1 in 5 of the population experiencing poverty in any year.
• An increasing number of people whose poverty is linked to the cost of their housing.
• The rising cost of housing and less help for low income renters is leaving more people struggling to meet their housing costs.
• When the costs of their housing are also taken into account this pushes an extra 3 million people into poverty.
• Home ownership is in decline, public housing is in decline and more people are renting their homes from private landlords.
• Poverty linked to housing costs is greatest for those who rent privately.
• The poorest people live in privately rented homes; this number has almost doubled.
People living in poverty have a higher risk of living in poor housing than others
Whilst not inevitable, it is more likely that poorer people will live in unsafe or inadequate housing. Regional variations exist both within and between different parts of the UK. Notably, the relationship between poverty and housing deprivation is most apparent in London, rural Wales and Northern Ireland.
Paying for housing whether rent or mortgage, is the single biggest cost for many households in Britain. It is generally accepted that no more than a third of household income should be spent on housing, however almost half of those on low income spend more than a third of all their income on housing.
In the most extreme cases poverty can leave people without a home at all. The powerful 1960s TV drama 'Cathy Come Home', featured a young family where the father lost his job and was unable to pay the rent. Evicted from their home, they ended up living in a caravan and eventually, as a consequence of their appalling housing conditions, their children were taken into care.
Housing costs can create poverty but housing is also part of the solution
The film helped to change the way people thought about poverty and homelessness in the UK. It triggered a series of events which culminated in new laws to ensure people would not be left homeless through poverty which was no fault of their own. To help low income families, government also provided financial help to those on lower incomes to meet the cost of rented housing.
Access to good quality affordable housing not only protects people against the worst excesses of poverty, it also provides a stable platform for educational achievement, enables access to public
services such as health care and improves work opportunities which increase income and ultimately helps to lift families and individuals out of poverty.
But is the safety net unravelling?
The vital role of public housing has been undermined as for a considerable time less public housing has been built than is needed. Reduced levels of government funding have also driven higher rents which means in many parts of UK the poorest people can no longer afford to live in 'public' housing.
The implementation of the welfare reform agenda has brought major changes to benefits including how people are provided with help to meet their housing costs. This has led to rent shortfalls and tenants struggling to pay their rent from an already very low income.
In these homes the impact of poverty is being keenly felt with people having to make hard choices. Coping strategies include cutting back on food, heat and light, selling belongings, borrowing money including from high interest lenders and increasing use of food banks. Inability to pay the rent means rising levels of evictions and homelessness and an increasing lack of willingness amongst landlords both in the public and private sector to provide homes for those who are poor.
Surely it is time to reflect on the legacy of Joseph Rowntree and the lessons of 'Cathy Come Home'; time to remind ourselves of the critical role which housing can play in preventing and alleviating poverty; and in one of the richest countries in the world, time to ensure that everyone, including the poorest in our society, has a
decent home to live in?
Sr Janet Wray
Director of Housing Rights Gracehill Congregation
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© Housing Rights