Research by Shelter has revealed figures which show the extent of the housing problem.

Apparently, an estimated 880,000 working parents throughout England say they have had to skip meals within the last year in order to be able to pay the mortgage or rent, according to the research.

10.5% of those asked in the study, said that either they or their partner had had to miss out on meals to make money stretch far enough to cover the monthly bills. When the figure is projected nationwide, based on those asked, there are an estimated 880,000 parents who have been missing out on food.

Overall, 37% of parents surveyed said that they had cut back on the amount of food that they buy in order to deal with the mortgage or rent.

13% of those questioned also admitted they had put off buying their children shoes, and postponing buying them new uniforms in order to avoid the expense and get through the month.

It shows that first time buyers, who have used the Help to Buy scheme to help them onto the property ladder, are not the only ones struggling, and more needs to be done to help those who have homes, to hang on to them.

Unfortunately, helping sell homes will stimulate the economy more than helping people stay in their homes. However, Brandon Lewis, Housing Minister, was reported saying “Contrary to Shelter’s claims, repossessions are actually at their lowest since 2007 and down almost a third since last year.”