Christian housing charity Housing Justice has welcomed the proposals to increase housing supply put forward by Housing Minister Yvette Cooper in Parliament earlier in the week.
Introducing the new green paper in Parliament Ms Cooper said that the Government intended to increase housing supply by 40,000 new homes to 240,000 new homes a year which will lead to the construction of three million new homes by 2020.
The green paper indicates that around a third of the new homes will be built by housing associations and local authorities for affordable rent. The green paper proposals, following consultation, will be included in the Queen’s Speech in November.
The increase in housing supply proposed in the green paper, Housing Justice believes, will offer hope to the 1.6 million families on council housing waiting lists and the 87,000 homeless families trapped in temporary accommodation. The impact of the past failure to invest in new housing is seen in Housing Justice’s housing advice centres on a daily basis, the charity said.
Housing Justice fears that the Government’s proposals may come across opposition on the ground from local authorities and others who are against increasing housing supply.
It is calling on all Christians to recognise the housing need in their communities and counter arguments put forward by opponents to new homes who argue that house building should be ‘not in my back yard’ (NIMBY).
Judith Maizel-Long, Director of External Affairs at Housing Justice, commented: “We wholeheartedly welcome the Government’s proposals to increase housing supply contained in the green paper. If implemented the proposals will begin to address England’s housing crisis, the effects of which are felt daily by hundreds of thousands of families.”
