Almost one in three people are worried about the shortage of affordable homes to buy or rent, according to a new survey by the Simon Communities.
The figures are part of the charity’s Cut the Red Tape campaign, which focuses on the “system failures and red tape that are pushing people into housing insecurity, homelessness and preventing people from leaving homelessness behind”.
The survey also revealed that 31 per cent are concerned about high rental costs impacting on people being able to eat and heat their homes.
Another 32 per cent are concerned about the numbers of people who are sleeping rough, while 27 per cent are concerned about the impact of homelessness on people’s health.
Simon Communities spokeswoman Niamh Randall said rising rents and reduced housing supply were leading to people being “pushed over the edge into homelessness”.
“These figures clearly demonstrate how vulnerable people feel about their own housing issues and how concerned they are about housing and homelessness crisis that has gripped the country,” she said.
“This must be the number one priority for the Government and in Budget 2017. There are now over 6,500 people who are trapped in emergency accommodation because there are no homes for them to go to - an increase of 40 per cent from the previous year.”
