The shame of Britain’s hidden homeless

The margin between having a home and not is surprisingly thin and can be crossed suddenly.

The UK ’s record on homelessness is the worst in the developed world.

In 2024 , Shelter reported that a record 145,800 children in England did not have a home.

In 2023 , 1.29 million households in England were on a waiting list for a council property.

Labour-run Enfield Council left 100 households without support last year after families on its housing list refused to be relocated outside of the borough, away from family and friends.

Britain ’s appalling record on homelessness stems from a loss of social housing and a wider lack of house construction.

Margaret Thatcher's Right to Buy policy has led to two million social homes sold since 1980 .

Labour announced a 2bn investment to construct 18,000 affordable homes.

When I visit, they also bring me a feeling of something I did not have for a long time: a home. A country as wealthy as ours and in which housing has widely come to be seen as nothing more resonant than a vault to store that wealth should be able to guarantee that feeling for everyone. [See also: How Birmingham became Britain ’s scapegoat].