Socialist polices could end the housing crisis
Lottie Young, Waltham Forest Socialist Party
Waiting lists for a family-sized social home now exceed 100 years in a number of local authorities, a report from the National Housing Federation has found. 164,040 children in England are homeless and stuck in damaging temporary accommodation, a dire situation that is directly linked to the fact that in 32 local authorities waiting lists for social housing now exceed an entire childhood (18 or more years). This shortage of social housing is the consequence of a system that disregards the right for all people to safe, comfortable, and affordable housing and places profits over working-class living standards.
This crisis of social housing forms just a piece of the much-bigger puzzle of the housing crisis. The costs to both buy and rent are rising to levels unattainable for working-class people. Even so-called ‘affordable’ homes remain at a price inaccessible to most – up to 80% of the massively inflated market rate. For young people, the idea of ever owning our own home seems like a far-away dream, with many of us facing the very real possibility that we won’t be able to afford to live in the area in which we grew up. For example, the average price paid by first-time buyers in my area of Walthamstow is £475,000, – extortionate and unrealistic for so many young people.
Capitalist housing crisis
Capitalism is a rotten system based on what makes profit for the bosses. It allows landlords to hike up rents, prevents the building of social housing, and allows private companies the liberty to set prices for their new builds which far exceed what most working-class people are able to pay.
A mass workers’ party, armed with a socialist programme that supports the needs of all working-class people, could end the housing crisis. Large building companies and banks would be nationalised under democratic workers’ control and management to ensure good-quality housing and cheap mortgages; democratically decided rent controls should be introduced; and a mass programme of council house building would be carried out. Additionally, empty properties need to be taken over. Currently, there are 700,000 unoccupied homes in England and 354,000 homeless people. If these properties were brought back into use and made safe for habitation, the housing crisis could be transformed.
