London's Housing Crisis: Millions Struggle Below Poverty Line

0:00On March 5, nearly 4 million Londoners are scraping by below the minimum income for a decent standard of living. That hits most private renters hard, along with 1,100,000 children, and more than a third of pensioners. Over the past 10 years, things have gotten much worse. The cost of basics has doubled since 2014, mostly because social housing is so scarce. Families end up in private rentals that cost twice as much in outer London, and three times as much in inner London compared to other UK cities. People's incomes just aren't keeping up, leaving little room for anything beyond survival. A couple with two kids needs each to earn 46,900 pounds a year in outer London, or 49,500 in inner. London. That's way above the 37,000 needed elsewhere in urban Britain. New details show extra burdens like higher public transport fees, adding 24 pounds, 20 pounds weekly in inner London, and 40 pounds eight, pints in outer areas.

1:00Single parents also pay 51% more for child care in the capital, while over 300,000 households wait for social housing. City leaders are responding with free school meals for primary kids, frozen bus, and tram fares, and hubs to help claim benefits. Still, without fixing the housing crunch, millions could face the same squeeze for years