'They've said it could be years... my story is just one in a million'

Zoe Marlow is sleeping on a mattress in her living room.

The 40-year-old from Wythenshawe, who has a chronic pain condition, can't manage the stairs anymore. And her bed is broken.

She's been struggling to heat her three-bedroom house which is 'too big' now that she lives alone. She's desperate to downsize.

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But after three years of trying, she is losing hope. Zoe is one of nearly 18,000 households on the social housing waiting list in the city.

She believes a family could 'thrive' in the home she's lived in for 18 years now that her two children have moved out. However, every time a suitable two-bedroom property becomes available, hundreds of other households are competing with her for the same one.

"There's that many people bidding on the one property, you kind of feel hopeless," she says. "I just think I'm never going to leave.

"They've said it could be years. My story is just one in a million."

Zoe will be in Parliament today (November 20) to talk about how she and thousands of other Mancunians are suffering because of a broken housing system. She is one of the commissioners behind a new report which sets out the stark reality facing people in the city.

The Manchester Social Housing Commission, which brings together tenants, grassroots groups, campaigners, political leaders, council officials, academics and planning professionals, is making an 'urgent' call for change. The report argues that the market-driven approach to housing in Manchester has failed, making homes less affordable, social housing less available and more people homeless.

Manchester currently has the second-highest rate of homelessness in England and the highest rate of people in temporary housing outside of London. Meanwhile, housing conditions, particularly in private rented homes, are too often substandard, the report says.

Between 2015 and 2023, the average monthly rent in Manchester increased by 61 per cent, while house prices have risen by 84 per cent. During that time, the social housing waiting list has risen by 57 per cent with many, like Zoe, waiting years for a suitable home.

Over the same period, the median hourly earnings in the city have increased by just 18.7 per cent, pushing many people into poverty. It comes despite a 'booming' economy in Manchester over the last 25 years or so, illustrated by the city centre's ever-changing skyline.

According to the commission, too few new homes of all types are being built, driving house prices and rents to rise much faster than incomes. It also argues that decades of under-investment in social housing means that all of this is 'just the tip of a growing iceberg'.

The commission, which is chaired by the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend Dr. David Walker, is calling on the government to 'significantly increase' public investment in sustainable social rented housing, reform the planning system and rethink the Right to Buy. According to the report, the city has lost more than 16,000 social rented homes since 1979 despite the population growing, primarily due to the policy which allows tenants to buy their council homes at a discount with much of the housing that is sold not replaced.

The government has announced plans to change the scheme by reducing the discounts available to tenants and allowing councils to spend more of the money made from sales to build new social housing. But the commission wants the government to go further still.

Venus Galarza, policy manager at Shelter who sits on the commission, said: “In the past decade we’ve lost more social homes than we’ve built, causing private rents to soar and leaving our housing system on its knees. Thousands of families across the country are stuck in unsuitable temporary accommodation, with little hope of finding a stable home. The only way we’ll turn the tide is by investing in a new generation of social homes. Research shows building 90,000 social rent homes would not only pay for themselves in just three years and add £51.2 billion to the economy over the next 30 years, but they would also help end homelessness for good."

Thirza Amina Asanga-Rae, an organiser with Greater Manchester Tenants Union who is also one of the commissioners of the new report, said: “150,000 children are living in temporary accommodation across the UK. A business as usual approach to housing will continue to blight their lives and prospects. Investing in a new generation of sustainable homes for social rent would reduce homelessness, save millions currently going to private landlords and give whole communities the basis to thrive long into the future.”

Commission chair The Right Reverend Dr. David Walker added: "Access to safe, secure, and affordable housing is a fundamental human right. The current housing crisis is a moral and economic imperative that demands immediate action. The Commission’s research sets out a clear path forward and we urge the government to adopt our recommendations to ensure everyone has a place to call home."