Nick Millican on the London Housing Crisis and Its Impact on Mental Health
If you’re like Nick Millican, then you realize that housing crises and mental health problems go hand-in-hand. A person’s home is supposed to be a place of security and comfort, not endless worry after all. Let’s take a deeper look into how the housing crisis is quickly becoming a mental health crisis as well.
Falling into Despair
According to the government, people should be paying under 30% of their income towards rental housing. However, in London, this has skyrocketed up to a 35% average with the lowest-income families paying around 46%. This has led to people falling into despair over their financial situation; as Nick Millican has noted, things get even worse when you factor in repairs that have to be made to owned properties that eat up even more income.
Things like fixing heating and air conditioning, dealing with spores, and more. Problems such as these can make homeowners feel like they’re stuck in an inescapable cycle.
Getting an eviction notice can be traumatizing. This is because if a person doesn’t find new housing in 30 days, they could end up homeless. Nick Millican has noted that many tenants have turned to alcoholism to cope with the fear of eviction and renting in general. Many say that the biggest stress in their life is long-term housing security.
What Can Be Done
As of right now, it doesn’t look like there will be a light at the end of this tunnel anytime soon. As homes in London become more unaffordable, rental prices go up as a result since more people are forced into renting housing. But, as Nick Millican assures, this is supply and demand. That said, something has to give eventually, but when that day will come is anyone’s guess.