The wait for family-sized social housing has reached crisis levels, with some families in England facing waits of over a century to be housed, according to new research by the National Housing Federation (NHF), Crisis, and Shelter.

The analysis found that in 32 local authority areas, the average wait for a three-bedroom property exceeds 18 years—the duration of an entire childhood. In nine areas, waiting times are over 50 years, and in three London boroughs, they exceed a staggering 100 years.

“The fact that families face waiting lists longer than their children’s entire childhood is a national scandal,” said Kate Henderson, NHF Chief Executive.
“We are allowing hundreds of thousands of children to grow up in damaging temporary homes, cramped and poor-quality conditions, and with little privacy.”

The Numbers Behind the Crisis

• 1.3 million families are currently on the social housing waiting list in England.

• That’s a 37% rise since 2015.

• A record 164,040 children are homeless and living in temporary accommodation – double the number in 2012.

• Just 8,747 new social homes were built last year – a 75% drop since 2010.

Campaigners say the real scale of the crisis is even worse, as local councils are tightening eligibility criteria and removing people from waiting lists due to the sheer lack of supply.