Pproperty is a popular topic of conversation these days. Whether your favoured milieu is the dinner party or the boozer, it's hard to avoid hearing people talking about how much their house, or the one they're thinking of buying, is worth.

But some people's property concerns are rather more pressing than whether they can afford to move up the ladder to that three-bed semi in a leafy neighbourhood.

People like Kim Stone, for example, whose main worry is whether she'll have anywhere to live at all in the next two weeks, as today's front-page story reveals.

And there are plenty more in her shoes. The latest figures show that 17,000 families in Worcestershire and Herefordshire alone desperately need somewhere affordable to stay.

So what's the answer?

More social housing, more private rental housing, lower rents, a fall in house prices and higher wages would all give the poorest-paid a better chance when it comes to finding affordable accommodation.

Of those potential solutions, building more social housing seems to be the most achievable.

But even that's not easily done. First you need somewhere to put it. No one wants to see Worcestershire's beautiful countryside covered with bricks and mortar, and city sites can be equally problematic.

And then you have to find the money. Private housebuilders may be making fortunes, but cash for affordable housing seems to be rather less forthcoming.

But a solution must be found, and quickly. Unfortunately, it won't be quick enough for Kim Stone.