A lack of social and affordable housing is leading to families being locked into poverty damaging their health and wellbeing, according to an academic report.

Private rents are too high for lower income families leading to a rise in homelessness say professor Christine Whitehead of the London School of Economics and Kelvin MacDonald of the University of Cambridge.

The report, sponsored by the Family Building Society, points out prices and rents are rising faster than earnings leading to an acute shortage of affordable housing in many regions across the country and especially in London and the South East.

It stresses that the government’s objectives are almost all concentrated on new build – which has in turn impacted on local authorities’ land use planning and building objectives.

The report goes on to question whether government initiatives will mean its target of 1.5 million homes will be met.

“This concentration on new-build and, in particular, on the operation of the planning system is a key factor affecting the supply of housing with, for example, increasingly long timescales from application to decision,” the report says.

The authors point out that an earlier report, published in July 2025, also sponsored by the Family Building Society, recommended three quick fixes to help solve the housing crises – scrap stamp duty for older people, tax short lets and second homes and treat private landlords as normal profit making organisations – none of which were taken up.

The current report goes on to say housing affordability is widely recognised as one of the most important issues facing households today – especially those with limited resources or past housing problems.

“The major issue in understanding affordability is that no dwelling is exactly like any other. Dwellings differ in terms of types, age, number and size of rooms, availability of outside space and location. No dwelling is exactly like another and value is difficult to assess.

“Rising house prices, for example, have different effects on different groups as well as different attributes between dwellings.”

Other important factors include the capacity and business models of the housebuilding sector, the extent of unimplemented planning permissions, lack of resources, the skills gap in both the construction industry and in public sector planning and the financial position of housing associations

This means that a significant number of sites are stalled due to the absence of a contract with a registered provider for the affordable housing element, as well as overall concerns about the current financial viability of schemes in some parts of England.

In addition, the report says costs to local authorities in meeting legally required accommodation for households that are homeless are significant and make it extremely difficult for local authorities to afford the services that are not statutorily required.

“At the limit, the problem is not simply affordability but actually ensuring a roof over peoples’ heads.” say the report’s authors.