Hundreds of families at worst end of housing crisis march on Downing Street

Hundreds of homeless families and those living in overcrowded housing marched on Downing Street calling for family-sized council homes for Londoners. 

In one of the biggest housing protests that London has seen in years families who have been suffering at the worst end of the housing crisis demanded immediate action from the Government to end it.

Families from Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth (HASL), gathered at Parliament Square Gardens before marching on 10 Downing Street. 

Outside Downing Street, children demolished a piñata of temporary accommodation and long housing waiting list reminding the government that neither of these things should exist as everyone should have good council homes. 

Children decorated their own placards about the housing crisis and families gave short speeches about their experiences.

Elizabeth Wyatt, a member of HASL said: “We know first-hand about the desperate shortage of council homes.

“Many of our members have been living for years in temporary accommodation outside of their home borough, others are living in seriously overcrowded private rented housing. As well as mouldy, leaky, overcrowded and dangerous housing conditions, these families also face high rents and high insecurity.

“In our neighbourhoods, the shiny signs accompanying new housing developments promise luxury one and two bed homes for sale. But what our neighbourhoods really need are high-quality, three, four, five bed family-sized council homes.

“It’s really that simple, we can solve the homeless crisis instantly with investment and expansion of high-quality, safe, secure, family-sized council homes that our communities need and deserve. Any further delay is unforgivable.”

In London, there are more 75,000 children living in temporary accommodation, while housing waiting lists continue to grow reaching record highs.

HASL said children of its members talk about the health conditions they have developed and that have worsened living in temporary accommodation, such as anxiety, stress, asthma, skin infections. 

One child’s hair started falling out due to stress from long journeys to school. In another case, a family with two severely disabled children were sent to temporary accommodation on the other side of London.

Analysis last year by not-for-profit organisation Home Connections showed that these homes would be freed up if overcrowded families were able to move into larger homes with three to five bedrooms. 

Pictured top: Hundreds of families protest outside Downing Street (Picture: Steve Eason)