Cost of living emergency ‘evolving’ as failures to tackle housing crisis ‘starting to bite’, say experts

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The cost of living emergency is evolving as decades of failure to tackle Britain’s housing crisis also start to bite, experts have warned. “Whereas the cost of living crisis started before where the focus was on energy and moved to food, which was more or less the same shock to everyone, it has now evolved towards housing costs – and that’s different for everyone, which means the variation is going to be bigger,” said Felicia Odamtten, an economist at the Resolution Foundation. open image in gallery Citizens Advice has seen ‘massive cutbacks’ in people’s spending on food and transport “You think it can’t get any worse. You can eat less, you can heat your home less, but you can’t consume half a house.” Citizens Advice now helping a record number of people facing homelessness, he said, while warning that the supply of social housing is also “incredibly squeezed”.