Over a third of working families in the West Midlands could not afford to pay their rent or mortgage for more than a month if they lost their job, new figures from Shelter reveal today. With little or no personal savings to fall back on, the Shelter and YouGov study found that this means a staggering 313,000 working families in the region could be just one paycheque away from losing their home. Even more shockingly, the research also revealed that nearly a fifth of working parents in the West Midlands face the nightmare prospect of being immediately unable to make their next rent or mortgage payment if they lost their job, and couldn’t get another one straightaway.

These worrying findings mirror recent government figures, which show there are 16.5 million working age adults in the UK with no savings at all.

High housing costs remain a major area of concern for most working families in the region, with over half saying housing puts the biggest strain on their household budget.

As the country faces a period economic uncertainty, Shelter is urging the new government to do all it can to protect and improve the welfare safety net that helps families to stay in their home when they fall on hard times.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: “These figures are stark a reminder that sky-high housing costs are leaving hundreds of thousands of working families in the West Midlands stretched to breaking point, and barely scraping by from one paycheque to the next.

“Any one of us could hit a bump along life’s road, and at Shelter we speak to parents every day who, after losing their job or seeing their hours cut, are terrified of losing the roof over their children’s heads too.

“In these uncertain times, the new government has a real chance to show working families they’re on their side, by protecting and improving our welfare safety net. It’s vital that if life does takes a turn for the worse, there’s enough support available for families so that they don’t go hurtling towards homelessness.”