People on lowest incomes being denied access to social housing, research finds

A third of surveyed housing associations said pre-tenancy affordability checks had led to people being denied an offer of a social home. Photograph: Arcaid Images/Alamy

The poorest people in England are being denied access to social housing owing to their low income, in a “catch-22” situation that is pushing more people into homelessness, research has found.

A new report from Crisis said that an ever depleting supply of social homes meant that housing associations were using strict criteria to choose new tenants, and people on low incomes and in receipt of benefits were having applications denied due to being deemed too risky.