Half of working families cut back on food, clothing to build houses, says Shelter

Almost half of working families are cutting back on buying essential food and clothing to help pay their rent or mortgage, a new survey suggests. The equivalent of almost four million families are feeling the squeeze on their household budgets, forcing them to cut back, according to the research by the charity Shelter. It said […]

Almost half of working families are cutting back on buying essential food and clothing to help pay their rent or mortgage, a new survey suggests.
The equivalent of almost four million families are feeling the squeeze on their household budgets, forcing them to cut back, according to the research by the charity Shelter.
It said these families are vulnerable to even a small change in income, and it urged the Government to help protect families who fall on hard times.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: ‘These figures are an acute reminder of the tough choices that working families are having to make to keep a roof over their children’s heads.
‘Any one of us could hit a bump along life’s road, but with housing now taking up the lion’s share of people’s pay-packets, any drop in income can all too quickly leave families at risk of losing their home.
‘At Shelter we speak to parents every day who live in constant fear that a cut in hours could tip them into homelessness.
‘With millions of working families struggling and a period of economic uncertainty ahead, now is the time for the new Government to both protect and improve our welfare safety net so that it can be there to support families who fall on hard times.’ The research was based on a survey of more than 1,500 working families with children aged up to 18. It found that 44 per cent of working parents have cut back on food or clothes to pay their rent or mortgage.
(mailonline)