More than two million homes are cold enough to cause ill health, Shelter says

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http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/324/7338/634/c

BMJ 2002;324:634 ( 16 March )

News extra

More than two million homes are cold enough to cause ill health, Shelter

says

Owen Dyer London

Thousands of people living in run down housing are becoming ill because of

their accommodation, according to a report by the housing charity Shelter.

Shelterline, the charity's telephone advice service, receives more calls

about health problems than any other issue except threatened evictions and

homelessness itself.

The report found that 14% of households in England live in housing that is

unfit, in substantial disrepair, or in need of substantial modernisation.

These 2 794 000 households include 750 000 children.

Two and a half million English homes are cold enough to cause ill health

over the course of a winter, says the charity. Cold can contribute to heart

attacks and strokes as well as hypothermia. Damp, mould, and overcrowding

are leading to higher rates of infection, allergies, injuries, and

respiratory and skin diseases.

A previous Shelter study found that people living in damp housing were two

to three times more likely than the general population to have asthma.

Lucy Twitchin of the National Asthma Campaign commented: " Asthma triggers

linked to damp include mould spores and the droppings of house dust mites.

We know that there is a link between poor housing conditions and asthma, and

so it is important that problems such as damp, poor ventilation, and

inadequate heating are resolved. "

An all time high of 77 940 English households are now living in temporary

accommodation, often bed and breakfasts. Conditions can be crowded and

unhygienic, with insufficient washing and cooking facilities. Shelter

reported one case of a 2 year old boy who had not learned to crawl because

there was not enough space in the single room shared by his family.

Private tenants are the most likely to live in poor housing, with nearly a

third of privately rented accommodation branded as unfit by Shelter. In this

sector, says the charity, it is the most vulnerable people who are likely to

suffer the poorest conditions. Forty five per cent of elderly private

tenants and 30% of privately renting families with children live in

unsuitable housing.

The gravest problems are faced by people who currently have nowhere to

sleep. Without a fixed address, they find it difficult to register with a

general practitioner and typically look to accident and emergency

departments for their health care. After hospitalisation, they are often

discharged without accommodation having been arranged, despite physical or

mental health problems.

Home Sick is accessible at www.shelter.org.uk/homesick/index.asp