To think people dont understand the magnitude of the social housing crisis?

[Arrowfanatic]

I work in social housing. We have endless requests for moves from customers who expand their family whilst in a property which is unsuitable to move them to a bigger property. We advise that family size housing (3 bed+) has a waiting list of around 10+ years and then these customers get mad.

We're accused of allowing them to stay in overcrowded properties, or affecting their mental & physical health and inevitably an overcrowded property becomes prone to damp & mould as it's too full.

These customers also want these houses in the exact location they desire, thereby limiting even more their chances of a move.

We get so demoralised when every day it's the same thing, but social housing is at a massive shortfall for the needs of the country & family size housing is in an even greater shortfall.

My company has an extensive plan to build more properties but it's a 5 year plan!

It's like they think we're lying to them, or the old classic of "you housing immigrants straight away" note, we dont, they have to apply like everyone else. We dont want our customers in unsuitable accommodation, and we really work hard on making the housing stock we do have work.

If you're in this position what could we tell our customers to make them understand the position we are in, and the one they have put themselves in and why we cant help as quickly as they would like.

I feel like I say "we have a shortage of family size housing" 100 times a day & get yelled at 100 times a day for our association not caring.

No I really didn’t. Doesn’t matter how you think it looks it’s still a dig at SH tenants and their attitude.

If you live in social housing you should only expand your family to as many as you can house. Not just birth lots of babies out and demand a bigger place.

To be fair that tactic worked for a former neighbour of my Mum’s- she moved in downstairs from her (in a 2 bed HA flat) with a young daughter and her then partner. She then ditched him, got a new boyfriend, and had 4 babies in quick succession. Neither of them were employed.
She now has a 4 bedroom house with a garden courtesy of the local council... and still no job, so presumably not paying rent.

I get annoyed that those with money are in effect making more money out of the tax payer. They rich buy a house, rent it out. The tennant is on housing benefit. The landlord is paid the housing benefit plus maybe a top up from the tennant, so, the rich get richer, the tenants fall further away from securing their own house deposit or securing a decent back up of savings (or maybe even struggling to just out food on the table) and the landlord is able to buy another property with the profits from the first. all because there is no social housing available. It’s not fair. (I would love someone to tell me this isn’t what is actually happening, but I think it’s a pretty fair summary).

Maryann that's acceptable to some on MN.

Some fail to see that their pension is being paid for by housing benefit and continue to moan a la DM style about benefit scroungers.

People who own or pay their own rent have to limit the size of house and family to their budget, it’s not unreasonable that others do the same. Personal responsibility seems low down on the list for some.

This is about the only sensible thing that has been said so far.

My situation is similar to @Mumalu I have 4 children and lived in a nice semi detached 4 bed new build private rented. The owners lived in Dubai and decided to come home so I was given a section 21 and couldn’t find anywhere to take me - single parent work park time as a nurse but my wage wasn’t enough as agencies use affordability calculators and wouldn’t let us have a 2 bed as we would be over crowded etc. So the council deemed us homeless and they had a duty to house us.

We spent a week in b&b (had to send my dog to my mums) then a week in a house where security guards walked in any time saying we were being anti social - kids were asleep and house was quiet but I don’t think the neighbours liked what it was used for. All the doors had combination locks on - youngest has additional needs and this really upset him along with all the change. 3 weeks later got a temp house tiny 3 bed quite shabby but warm and a roof area ok but a long way from schools etc.

That was 2 years ago, everything broke am currently sat with no heating or hot water my kids are tired of being in limbo - not having a lot of our own things - I had to sell a lot/lots in peoples garages etc housing officer looks at me like I’m shit on her shoe sometimes. We are waiting as patiently as we can but it’s frustrating as I have no choice no private rent - it’s not so easy as lots of landlords don’t take hb. I think those of you judging whilst in your nice warm houses with security and £ should perhaps just think yourself lucky instead of making people in quite a shitty situation feel worse.

Realistically I know I’ll be waiting a long long time. My 14 year old shares with his 8 year old brother who doesn’t sleep and my 9 year old and really all are struggling my eldest son has a shoe box of a room no space for another bed. I don’t expect people who have brought up families in a home to move for me though, it would be nice if it was an option and they could move somewhere local and safe but would you?...I think one day I’ll be in that position when my kids move out and it’s hard to think about.

There are over 30,000 families on the social housing waiting list in my London borough. Privately rented flats start at about £1300 for a 1 bed. The council is desperately struggling to house families and so has offered to help relocate people to other areas outside of London. This has caused outrage amongst families and activists who have led marches on the the town hall demanding local homes for everyone on the waiting list.

But it just isn't possible. I understand why people want to remain in London but there are homeless families with no local connections (ie they arrived in the borough in recent years) who are condemning their children to years in terrible hostels rather than move to a house in an area outside London. They appear to think it is their right to live in this area. Meanwhile I'll shortly be joining the exodus of people born in the borough who have to move to another area as we have been priced out and cannot get properties big enough for our families here. I appreciate I am extremely lucky as I own a flat which I am selling in order to buy a house somewhere cheaper but the principle is the same: you cut your cloth and live where you can in accordance with your means.

Villanomme £200 is £200. The entire monthly food budget for a lot of families.

My friends had to leave the area they were from because they had two kids and were in a two bed council flat and wanted to give their kids a bedroom each and more specifically, a garden. So they moved 200 miles away to an area where they could buy a house, because no bigger council properties were available in the area they were originally from. Meanwhile, both sets of grandparents remain the original area in large 3 and 4 bedroomed council properties with enormous gardens, garages and parking, which they refuse to give up (one of which has been bought very cheaply as right to buy). It makes my blood boil actually.

Yeah, I’m on the waiting list for a 4 bed, currently a carer for my dad and been referred to social services for being over crowded. Again.

We are living in a 2 bed flat, my dad in one room and 2 children in the other, 2 in the living room and one in a fold out bed in with my bedbound dad.

I have to install a 3 high bunk bed in the small bedroom to house all the boys, get rid of the sofa and buy another one and get a new carpet for the front room. And declutter. We will still be over crowded, we will still have problems but there is no housing stock! So we can’t get a house. We will probably be referred to social services next year as well!

I agree with so many of the comments on here, particularly regarding the buying up of social housing stock. Why should some people get to buy their home at a discount? That means taxpayers are making up the shortfall, then having to pay more again in taxes to replace the housing stock for the next wave of families. If you've got enough money to buy your council house, you shouldn't be in one!

I know some HAs have started means testing every 5 years for this very reason (& know people who will be reviewed soon who are finding this policy unreasonable!)

I told them I was paying more in rent on the crap private flat than I do for the house we’re in. She was gobsmacked, so I do wonder if certain individuals lose touch with what is reality for a lot of people who aren’t as fortunate. So true @NaviSprite, so many people seem completely unaware of how much those in private rentals have to shell out and have no sense of gratitude for what they've been provided with.

Developers are building to make a profit, they don't want to build on brownfield sites because of the contamination that they would be required to treat/remove
So they should keep building on greenfield sites around the edges of towns while the town centres rot and become derelict? That’s unsustainable. At some point the brownfield sites need to be built upon. Of course councils can force developers to utilise brownfield sites - that’s what local plans and planning legislation are for.

There are loads of problems, already mentioned on here - growing population, lack of personal responsibility, right to buy.

Our cleaner at work has just been given a social housing house, after being in the waiting list for 6 years. She constantly complains about it because there is no allocated parking so she has to park on the road, the 3rd bedroom is a single room, it’s not in the catchment area for good schools. Her biggest complaint is that she doesn’t like living amongst immigrants. She arrived here from Poland 6 years ago

Tell them to remember their frustrations next time there's a bloody election and use their vote for change!

@Kaykay066

Why isn’t your children’s father supporting his kids?

Four children are expensive so you must have been wealthy before you split up?

I really do sympathise with people desperate to get a SH property, & who really & truly need one but hate the people who call me up & basically talk to me like I'm the scum who has permanently put them in this position. There are so many reasons people need to move, and some are in worse positions than others but I never ever look down my nose at any of our customers (and yes, we call them customers as we consider ourselves as providing a service to people who live in our homes) I dont always agree with their choices but I never look down on them and I dont know any of my colleagues that would either.

I think people don’t understand the magnitude of the overpopulation crisis.

OP I should imagine that the people who come to you for assistance have a rather deeper understanding of the effects of the social housing crisis than you do, given that it impacts on them every day in the most fundamental of ways, as opposed to just being a situation that causes them professional frustration. Have you thought about undertaking training/development to counter the lack of empathy you are experiencing which presumably affects your judgement and decision making?

Due to a change in circumstances and a LL wanting to sell (again) we were given a 3 bed council house. Rough area, tiny 3rd bedroom but it was such a relief after the uncertainty and expense of private renting

Children were 21 ,13, 4 and 2 at the time and 3 in one room was a bit cramped and not great for the 13 year old sharing witb the little ones (youngest has asd)

Ds1 moved out about a year later though. me and exp would have started sleeping in the livingroom though at some point to give the 13 year old some space

I love it here and am eternally grateful for the house

I work in welfare with service users. I have to tell people bad news all the time.
I've never been shouted at. I pride myself on being helpful and non judgmental though.

Your customers are probably picking up on this kind of attitude ...

and the one they have put themselves in

We have endless requests for moves from customers who expand their family whilst in a property which is unsuitable

You sound as if you're blaming them for their circumstances.

Someone says of OP “ Have you thought about undertaking training/development to counter the lack of empathy you are experiencing which presumably affects your judgement and decision making?”

Faced with a family with seven children and no 8 on the way, I’m amazed
OP can manage not to shout at them.

My parents waited till 38 to have me, because....er, affordability? What happened to good common sense?

There is a lot of judgment on here. I used to work for homeless people and there are many reasons why they are in the position they are in. One family with two children were repossessed following the husband's catastrophic car accident, he couldn't work for 18 months, his wife returned to work but was on low pay in comparison and despite claiming everything they could, the mortgage was not sustainable. People's marriages break down, women and children suffer DV and have to flee and despite what some people on here think, the middle classes have DV too. Have some compassion . . .

I think there needs to be a proportion of bungalows built on every development . With an aging population it makes sense. It would help free up housing. DH and I are waiting to downsize but he is disabled. This would free up a 3 bed, they are like hens teeth though.
I work full time, and we pay full rent/CT before anyone says anything.

On the note of rents, try looking at it the other way, social rents are what is realistic...'market' rents are often subsidised with benefit top up.
'Affordable' should mean without top ups.

Poverty begets poverty
Bad education begets bad choices
How can people not realise that the cycle of poverty is a real thing and people's 'choices' are dictated by it.