Shapps Reports on the 'New Homeless'

Shapps Reports on the 'New Homeless'

Iain Dale 12:01 AM

One of the Conservatives' busiest politicians over the Christmas period has been Shadow Housing spokesman, Grant Shapps. He's going to hit the headlines this morning with a report which claims that nearly half of us are concerned about meeting our mortgage repayments during 2009. YouGov Research for a pamphlet called THE NEW HOMELESS, which Shapps is publishing today reveals...

• 44% of mortgage holders are worried about being able to meet their payments over the next 12 months.
• Nearly half (47%) of Local Authority and Housing Association tenants are worried about being able to meet their rent payments over the next 12 months.
• Over two fifths (41%) of private renters are worried about being able to pay the rent over the next 12 months.

The report concludes that for the first time, people from right across the socio-economic spectrum believe themselves to be at equal risk of repossession or inability to pay rent; regardless of whether in social housing, the private rented sector or owner occupiers. Shapps told me last night...

Over the past year the Conservative Homelessness Foundation has worked with our Advisory Panel which consists of all the leading housing charities and it has become clear that the prospect of homelessness is on the rise. What this report and YouGov data reveals is that the prospect of homelessness is suddenly a very real and alarming prospect for millions of hard-working Britons who have never before believed themselves to be at risk of losing the roof over their heads. Unfortunately this government's response has been a myriad of confusing, and often contradictory, small scale announcements which have done little to reassure hard-pressed families.

This is obviously a delicate political issue. The Opposition can't appear to revel in this at all. What they need to do now is show how they would differ from the Government in their response to the problem. The Shapps report is a good start.