In brief
- As in so many other areas of life, the pandemic exposed huge inequalities in housing, with many children from the most marginalised communities living in cramped, damp and cold homes, very often with no access to outside space.
- While much of the national housing crisis is outside of local authorities’ control, the pandemic has exposed aspects of the crisis they can influence, including identifying those groups of children most vulnerable to living in inadequate housing, as well as the importance of children’s immediate surroundings, namely access to safe and green spaces to play.
- Taking a child rights-based approach to housing at the local level – one that puts children’s rights front and centre of decisions around housing and the wider built environment – is a powerful step towards ensuring children don’t just have a roof over their heads, they have a foundation on which to thrive.