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In our latest publication, @amyclair503 and I explore links between housing and health.
Before COVID-19 hit, 7.6m households in England were experiencing at least one housing problem including poor quality homes, overcrowding, and high housing costs
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Before COVID-19 hit, 7.6m households in England were experiencing at least one housing problem including poor quality homes, overcrowding, and high housing costs
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The third national lockdown means more time spent in the home for most people, and therefore more time spent exposed to negative housing conditions such as overcrowding or non-decent homes for these households.
These conditions can harm health, and people living in poorer housing conditions already have worse health.
We found that overcrowding in particular was associated with worse mental health during the first lockdown.
The 2019-20 figures showed another increase in the proportion of English households that were overcrowded, particularly among rented households
The 2019-20 figures showed another increase in the proportion of English households that were overcrowded, particularly among rented households
As a result, the state of housing going into the pandemic has made the experience of the last nine months worse than it had to be for many people.
But as with many of the inequalities highlighted in this pandemic, COVID-19 has exacerbated existing disparities in housing, not created them.
A longer-term solution is to increase the number of social rented properties, which can offer better stability, cost and quality for different reasons.
Beyond this, the private rented tenancy model is simply no longer suitable for the changing mix of people living in the sector.
A more pressing threat is the accumulation of arrears and risk of a wave of evictions without government intervention.
Good housing can contribute positively to health. For many, it was a risk to health and wellbeing before the pandemic and has likely got worse since.
