There is an enormous need of housing in the UK

The UK desperately needs affordable housing and the gap between dwindling supply and growing demand grows ever larger, Paul Bridge, Chief Executive Officer, Civitas Housing Advisors, told Real Estate Day.

‘’We at Civitas focus on social housing and in particular on those with care needs,’ he said. ‘Whatever happens in the macro environment, that need is still strongly there. For example, we see a 5% growth a year in the numbers of young people who need safe, affordable, long-term social housing, which is what we provide. In a world which some people see as complex and difficult, there will always be a need for that stable income from social housing.’

Most people do not realise the scale of the problem. The waiting lists for social housing are extremely long and getting longer, with millions of people on them hoping to get accommodation.

‘The homelessness charity Crisis said that 133,000 families are living in some form of temporary accommodation, like a hostel or a hotel, and these families have children, so that is several hundred thousand people that have to move regularly and really require long-term stable secure accommodation,’ Bridge said. ‘So you can see that people in society are focused on the fact that these people need to be housed properly. There is an enormous need.’ 

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