Policy Library
Policy, research and good practice work forms a major part of Shelter's efforts to address and find solutions for homelessness and housing issues.
Shelter Briefing: Cost of Living Crisis and the Housing Emergency
The housing emergency is inextricably linked with the cost-of-living crisis. Hundreds of thousands are struggling to afford to keep a roof over their heads, and we now face a perfect storm of spiralling rents and rising bills that threatens to push many towards the brink of homelessness.
Published: 6 September 2022
Shelter Briefing: Social Housing (Regulation) Bill Committee Stage
Five years on from the Grenfell Tower fire, the Government has introduced the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, which represents a real opportunity to provide fairness and accountability for people living in social housing.
Published: 18 August 2022
Response: Work and Pensions committee inquiry into the cost of living
Shelter responds to the Work and Pensions committee's inquiry into the cost of living and the additional support measures announced by the Chancellor in May 2022.
Published: 13 July 2022
Briefing: A fairer private rented sector
The government’s A Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper set out its proposals for the Renters’ Reform Bill. The proposals have the potential to transform the private rented sector, finally levelling the playing field between tenants and landlords.
Published: 16 June 2022
Alert Briefing: Universal Credit and Housing Benefit
Shelter analysis shows that a third of private renters (1.8 million) now claim housing benefit, up 32% on pre-pandemic levels. To prevent a wave of homelessness in the cost of living crisis, the government urgently needs to unfreeze and restore housing benefit to reflect the real cost of renting.
Published: 24 May 2022
Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill: Second Reading
The introduction of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill represents an opportunity to change the rules around land and planning to ensure that the needs of communities are truly met by new development – including ensuring the delivery of much needed social housing. The current system of development results in the needs of communities often being forgotten or ignored when they should be front and centre of any plan to level up the country. We need a planning system and a land market that has delivering the infrastructure and social homes communities need at its heart.
Published: 23 May 2022
Protecting private renters in the Queen's Speech
Letter to the Prime Minister: Protecting private renters in the Queen's Speech
Published: 26 April 2022
Unlocking Social Housing - Report
We need many more social homes built to end the housing emergency. But our housing system has too many barriers that stop getting the most affordable tenure of housing built. In “Unlocking Social Housing”, we look at how we can remove the barriers baked into England's investment, land and planning systems and get a new generation of good quality and genuinely affordable social homes.
Published: 20 April 2022
Alert Briefing: Benefit Cap
Latest statistics show that in November 2021 123,000 households had their benefits capped. Shelter analysis shows that in many parts of London and the South East, a lone parent with 3 children would be capped and unable to afford basic food and bills.
Published: 5 April 2022
Briefing: Take action on unfit, unsafe and unaffordable housing in the Queen's Speech
Shelter is calling for the government to bring forward three crucial bills in this year's Queen's Speech, to build social housing, fix private renting and bolster regulation in the social rented sector.
Published: 18 March 2022