Changing housing system or fighting child poverty?

Tuesday, 23 June 2009


Joseph Rowntree Foundation insists that supporting disadvantaged families is the best way to narrow the gap between the children living in social housing and other tenures.


The report “Growing up in Social Housing in Britain”, launched on 18 June by the Tenant Services Authority, in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Scottish Government, discovered that children living in social housing are increasingly disadvantaged compared to children in other housing.


They scored lower in measures of adulthood health, well-being, education, employment and income than those who did not grow up in social housing. Moreover, this gap has grown over time.


JRF Chief Executive Julia Unwin said: "We need to ensure that social housing is of the highest quality, and increase its social mix. However, policies to reduce child poverty or to support disadvantaged families are likely to be a more effective route to reducing adult disadvantage than trying to change the whole housing system."


TSA Chief Executive Peter Marsh said: "I welcome this research as a timely challenge. There needs to be co-ordinated action to tackle inequality. This research reinforces the need for social housing policy to be integrated within a wider context, with education, childcare and neighbourhood policies."