Craig David makes social housing plea as he returns to childhood council flat

With a catalogue of hits, he’s among Britain’s best-loved pop stars — once boasting a luxury Miami penthouse. But has returned to his humble childhood council flat where he penned early tracks… treating its occupants to a performance. The 7 Days singer is supporting a charity campaign urging the government to invest in building almost one million social homes in a decade.

Craig, 43, appears in a film with mum Tina at the two-bed Southampton property where he wrote songs such as Walking Away and Fill Me In. “We absolutely need to invest in social housing. This home gave me the foundation for me to become the man that I am today,” he said in the clip. Footage of the star — who scored a number one aged just 18 — has been released by housing and homelessness charity, Shelter.

In other comments, Craig said: “Growing up in a social home meant everything to me. 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.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

“I remember how, in that very home, I could sit down, play my melodies, and dream. That home was where I wrote some of the most important songs of my life – songs that went on to shape my career and touch so many people’s hearts. 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.

"I’m proud to support Shelter’s campaign, because it’s 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."

Craig met the family living in the now privately owned flat and gave a living room music performance. The singer's parents split when he was eight and the star has previously told of being raised predominantly by his mum and grandmother. In the film, mum Tina says: “If we didn’t have this social home, I think life would've been a lot different. It was having our own space, [it] was just amazing and he just thrived from day one.”

It comes as over 164,000 children were homeless in England at the end of September last year, living in temporary accommodation. And more than 1.3million households in England were stuck on local authority waiting lists at the end of March last year – the highest since 2014.

Shelter is urging the government to use June’s spending review to invest in building 90,000 social homes a year for a decade. Social homes can be either council or housing association properties.

Mairi MacRae, Director of Campaigns and Policy at Shelter, said: “Homelessness has a clear solution – safe, secure social rent homes that give everyone the chance to thrive, but right now, there just aren’t enough. Decades of underinvestment in social house building has left us with a chronic shortage, pushing more and more families into expensive, unstable private rentals or overcrowded, often grim temporary accommodation.

“We’re so grateful to have Craig backing our campaign. His story shows just how powerful and life-changing a social home can be – providing the solid foundation for a successful career and future. That’s a 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 government must use the June Spending Review to commit to invest in 90,000 social homes a year for ten years.”

Craig’s first album, Born To Do It, was released in 2000 and shifted seven million copies. But he later suffered a dip in popularity before making a comeback in 2016 and bagging a number one album. The star reportedly sold his US penthouse in 2019 for £3.3million, ten years after buying it.

A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We’re taking urgent action to fix the broken system we inherited 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.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on , , , , , and .