The social housing waiting list for a family-sized home is more than a hundred years in some parts of England, joint analysis by the National Housing Federation, Crisis and Shelter has found.
As the government looks to boost the social sector as part of its housing strategy, the new figures reveal the severity of the homes shortage.
The five local authorities in England with the longest waiting lists for three-bedroom family homes are all in the capital.
This wait time often exceeds life expectancy.
Westminster has the longest waiting list at 107 years, followed by Enfield and 105 years, Merton at 102 years, Wandsworth and Camden, both at 82 years.
Outside London, 32 local authorities where families cannot hope to secure a three-bed home before their children reach adulthood, because the waiting list is over 18 years.
The longest waiting lists outside the capital are in Mansfield at 75.5 years, Slough at 74.3 years, Solihull at 27.9 years, Bolton at 27.3 years and Broxbourne at 23 years.
The number of families on waiting lists in England has increased by 37% since 2015, six times the rate of the waiting list overall.
The NHF says that social rent is the only truly affordable form of housing, as it is tied to local incomes.
Social rents are 69% more affordable than private rents, with social tenants in England paying on average £947 less per month in rent than those renting privately, according to Shelter.
But, due to the shortage of homes many families are being forced to live in overcrowded conditions, in poverty because they are pushed into unaffordable private rented homes or in the worst cases they are homeless.
Government figures show a record 164,040 children are homeless and living in temporary accommodation – double the number in 2012, according to the housing groups’ analysis.
One in every six children is living in an overcrowded home.
The cost of providing temporary accommodation or putting families in private rented homes means taxpayers are spending £13.5bn a year more on housing costs than in 2010, when the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government cut grants to build affordable homes by 63%, the groups say.
They say at least 90,000 social homes need to be built each year to meet demand, which would require a tenfold increase on current rates.
Shelter, Crisis and the NHF are calling on the government to commit to building 90,000 social homes each year for the next decade at its June spending review.
NHF chief executive Kate Henderson says: “The fact that families in so many parts of the country face waiting lists for an affordable home longer than their children’s entire childhood is a national scandal.”
Crisis chief executive Matt Downie says: “It’s ludicrous that in some areas of the country the wait for a social home is more than average life expectancy.”
Shelter director of policy and campaigns Mairi MacRae says: “Every day our frontline services hear from desperate parents forced into impossible situations.
“Families squeezed into single room temporary accommodation, with nowhere for children to play or do homework.
“Key workers uprooted from their jobs and communities because there are simply no homes they can afford nearby.
“Childhoods are being lost to homelessness and it’s costing the country billions.
“The June Spending Review is the government’s chance to right this wrong.”
