The waiting period for family-sized social housing has surged to over 100 years in certain regions of England, according to charities who label this situation as “absurd” and a “national disgrace.” The National Housing Federation (NHF), in collaboration with Crisis and Shelter, analyzed data and found that in 32 regions of England, the wait for a home with at least three bedrooms exceeds 18 years, which coincides with an entire childhood.

The three regions with the longest waiting lists, all located in London, have queues that stretch beyond a century, while another nine regions have waiting lists of over 50 years. Kate Henderson, CEO of the NHF, commented on the alarming reality that countless children are growing up in inadequate temporary housing, suffering from overcrowding, poor quality, and lack of privacy.

More than 1.3 million families are currently on the waiting lists for social housing in England, marking a 37% increase since 2015. Meanwhile, 164,040 children are homeless and stuck in temporary accommodation, twice as many as in 2012. Because of the scarcity of social housing, families are left with no option but to live in cramped and unaffordable private accommodations or face homelessness.

Housing organizations have noted that councils have resorted to stricter eligibility criteria to manage their waiting lists, suggesting that the true number of households requiring social housing could be much higher than reported. Angie, a mother of four in Tower Hamlets, has been on the social housing waitlist for 16 years, with the average wait in her area being over 40 years. Despite her efforts, she has little hope of ever moving into a social property.

Experts are urging the government to increase investment in affordable housing, emphasizing that such action could resolve numerous societal issues. The leading housing advocacy groups have called for a financial boost for social housing in the upcoming spending review and a commitment to build 90,000 social homes annually. In 2022, only 8,747 new social homes were constructed, a drop of 75% from 2010 levels.

In response, the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government acknowledged the severity of the social housing crisis and affirmed their plan to address it through substantial investment, homeless services support, and reforms to existing schemes.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/09/hundred-year-wait-family-size-social-housing-england