THE latest figures show demand for affordable rented properties in the South Hams is outstripping supply by nearly 600 per cent.

According to the Devon HomeChoice quarterly monitoring report for July, there are 823 people in housing need on the register for the South Hams.

Of those, 472 are looking for one-bed accommodation and 205 for two-bed, a total of 677 - that’s 80 per cent of the full number.

And the cost of living crisis caused by soaring food prices and sky-high fuel costs, has left many local individuals and families struggling to pay for a roof over their heads.

Many families are suffering more general deprivation, with the latest report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation showing the proportion of children in poverty after housing costs are taken into account was 27 per cent in South Hams.

House price growth in the South West is currently stronger than any other part part of the UK, which is bad news for young home-buyers and homeless people in the region, says the South Devon Rural Housing Association (SDR).

The average house price in the South Hams is £440,139, while the average salary is £30,160, so the gap between purchase price and affordability continues to widen, SDR reports.

Also pushing up house prices at unprecedented rates is growth in second homes, more properties being converted to holiday lets, and extra people moving into the area from outside.

There’s also a lack of rentable homes available for tenancies longer than six months – inflicting more pain on those seeking longer-term lets, SDR says.

Christine Candlish, chief executive of the Totnes-based SDR is proud the part her organisation is playing in easing the pain of South Devon’s housing crisis.

She said: “We’ve seen a perfect storm of conditions leading to pressure on people on below average incomes trying to find an affordable home in our area.

“I feel sorry for folk who can’t see how they will ever get a roof over their heads; we must find more ways to help them.

“Organisations like SDR can’t solve a situation like this alone. Our ongoing new projects can hold back the tide but, when council partners declare a Housing Crisis, it’s all hands to the pumps to check the decline and create forward motion. We’re playing a key role in this battle, which must be won”.

Part of SDR’s multi-faceted approach is partnering with providers of rent-to-buy options like Rentplus, which offers a proven affordable rent-to-buy scheme operating across England and is now focusing on the South West.

Christine said: “I’m really proud of the measures and partnerships we’ve put in place and I’m confident they’ll have a significant impact on the region’s housing shortage.

“Local government and private sector strategies also give me hope that we are on the right track to slow the rate of decline and in time turn it around for the benefit of people on low incomes who want to live, work and bring up their families in our wonderful area.”