Writing on the wall
back to back “Full House?”, a report published this month by the housing charity Shelter has revealed that half a million British households are overcrowded, the same proportion as in 1997. The study, in which 550 families living in such conditions were surveyed, is the largest of its kind to date. Children are being forced to sleep in their parents’ bedrooms or even in dining rooms, lounges and kitchens. In one household in ten, teenagers of the opposite sex have to share a room. In almost two thirds (63%) of cases, there is no safe outside area where children can play. Black and ethnic...