First time buyer here (well, would like to be)

As a single person who's only on 17k a year, I can't afford a house or even a flat by myself. I can't see what's so great about shared mortgages either. You pay even more then you would on a mortgage, and you own less.

What makes even less sense, is if we can be expected to pay that much for a shared mortgage. Why aren't we offered more when we apply for a normal morgage?

Is it even worth owning a house any more?