The mental health toll of unaffordable housing on today’s young adults

This blog is part of a series written by Becky, junior designer at Rethink Mental Illness, called ‘5 things damaging young adults’ mental health that aren’t social media’  

Ever since I was a child, I was told you go to school, do your A Levels, go to university, get a good job, buy a house, and have a family.
 
When I finished university a couple of years ago, it was an utter shock to me that this wouldn’t be as quick as I was once told.

The constant reminder that I am yet to be on the property ladder, that I do not earn enough to save money to even begin to think about getting on that ladder, and am nowhere near in the settled position my parents were at my age, has been one of these hardest truths to impact my mental health in my early 20s.

I live month-to-month on my salary. If I really, really budget, sometimes I can save £50 before the next pay day. How in the world am I going to buy a first house anytime soon?

My family is so understanding, which helps lighten my mental load. No matter where I am in life, I can rely on them if I need to, but that is not the same for many people.

There is a constant twinge of disappointment when I tell someone of an older generation that I am still renting at 24, despite how common it is. And I am in a good position in comparison to a lot of my friends who haven’t got the ability to move out of their family home because of money.

Living on your own is almost impossible at my age. If you don’t have a partner, you can’t split the deposit or mortgage, so you’re going to struggle to buy a place. If I wasn’t with my partner, I wouldn’t even be able to rent near London like I am, let alone buy. And I don’t even live in central London – I live in Kent.

The toll this takes on my mental health – along with rising cost of living and fewer job opportunities – is exhausting. Finding hope in all this isn’t easy. But it’s possible.

I get motivation by the fact I am not an isolated case (unfortunately). My generation is all sort of in this together. Despite all that’s against us; it’s heartening to see that my partner and many of my friends and I are still trying!

I’m also fortunate to have a social media algorithm that shows me groups of people coming together to help each other try to overcome these issues. It’s great to be part of a generation that seems to be much more understanding and supportive of people as a whole and one that has the energy and passion to campaign for social issues like fairer housing and an improved mental health system.

All we need now is a system that fights for our future as much as we are.