Craig David makes social housing plea at former home
Craig David has returned to his childhood council house to push for social housing, which he said "heartbreakingly" many children do not have access to.
The singer, whose hits include 7 Days, lived on the Holyrood Estate near Southampton city centre from the age of one until his music career took off in his early 20s.
He has made a film for housing charity Shelter's campaign, going back to the estate with his mother Tina.
"Growing up in a social home meant everything to me," said the 43-year-old.
"It wasn't just a place to live - it was a space where I felt secure, supported and able to be myself.
"The sense of community was so strong too. We looked out for each other and that made all the difference."
The Shelter film follows David meeting the family who now live in his former home, as well as speaking about his childhood and his early career.
While living in the area, he came up with songs for his 2000 debut album, Born to Do It, which became the fastest-selling debut by a British male solo act at the time.
"Going back with Shelter to visit my old home, and still feeling that same energy, reminded me just how powerful the foundation of a stable, loving home can be."
The garage singer said it was "heartbreaking to think so many children today don't have that same chance".
"Every child deserves the security, support and sense of belonging I was lucky enough to grow up with - and that means investing in social housing," he added.
Mairi MacRae, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, said the housing and homelessness charity was grateful to David for showing "how powerful and life-changing a social home can be - providing the solid foundation for a successful career and future".
She said: "That's a world away from what growing numbers of homeless children are facing today - living in temporary accommodation where instability looms over them, never knowing if they'll be forced to move again, leaving their schools and communities behind."
The charity is calling on the government to commit to investing in 90,000 social homes a year for the next 10 years in its June spending review.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said the Government was "taking urgent action to fix the broken system we inherited".
They said ministers were doing this "through our Plan for Change, injecting £2 billion to help deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, investing in homelessness services, and bringing forward overdue reforms to the Right to Buy scheme that will protect the stock of existing social housing".
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