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Introduction from Helen Baker and Polly Neate CBE

Housing is taking a more prominent place in the public and political debate than at any time since Shelter launched our current strategy in 2019.

It is undeniable that the housing emergency is more severe than it has been for decades, and Shelter must continue to lean into its purpose: to defend the right to a safe home.

We are far from ending rough sleeping. We haven't built enough social homes, and private rents and evictions are at record levels. Daily, we see families pushed into grim and unsafe hostels, B&Bs and worse, miles away from their support networks, schools and health care. Children are sharing beds and have nowhere to play, eat or do homework.

But we know the solution to the housing emergency. Together with our supporters we can fight for people's housing rights on the ground, and secure the delivery of 90,000 social homes a year for 10 years in England. The government needs to take action.

Shelter will continue to work locally and nationally to tackle the root causes of unfit housing and homelessness. Our frontline services are now firmly focused on lasting change for individuals, families and communities and are working in new and innovative ways. Our national helpline and online advice are still dedicated to meeting the urgent needs of people facing the trauma of homelessness.

We have so much to be proud of. Last year we directly supported 34,084 people across our emergency helpline and webchat, as well as our 11 community hubs in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Blackburn, Norwich, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Newcastle, Bristol, Birmingham and Sheffield.

A man pushing a wheelbarrow through a sunny passage between flats.

Standing with communities

We have continued to fight housing injustice in communities, joining forces with other grassroots organisations and people with lived experience of homelessness.

Through our community model we empower people individually to improve their housing situation, and we also partner with other local organisations to develop the skills and knowledge to recognise and support people with housing problems.

This means we've more easily been able to reach those most acutely affected by the housing emergency, who are often harder to access.

Through this approach, more individuals and families at the sharp end of the housing emergency have had their rights upheld, helping them find security and hope for the future. In this report you will read the story of Kathy and Steve, who are involved in a partnership between our Bournemouth Hub and a local community centre ensuring that people receive early advice, before they reach crisis point.

Fighting on the national stage

In the last year, we have worked with supporters directly affected by the housing emergency, and a coalition of partners and communities to call for reform of the private and social rented sectors.

  • Nearly 1.3 million households are on social housing waiting lists

  • Over 112,000 households are homeless in temporary accommodation - the highest number ever

We've successfully campaigned alongside Grenfell United for big changes to the way social housing is managed and maintained. Parliament has now passed the long-awaited Social Housing Regulation Bill into legislation, improving safety and living conditions for millions. In this report you can read more about our contribution to bringing this legislation to fruition.

The root cause of this emergency remains the same: the lack of political will to invest in truly affordable social homes. That's why we have used the general election to provide a sharp focus for our campaigning work. Last year we produced an election manifesto – and we are incredibly proud that it was genuinely co-produced with people with lived experience of the very worst of the housing emergency.

Our impact is your impact

We are not just here to pick up the pieces. We are here to help people change the way they are treated, both locally and nationally, for good.

The reality, however, is that there's no way we can do this on our own. Shelter is a community that wants to make a difference, and we stand side by side with our supporters to make this happen. Without your funding for our work and your voice amplifying our calls for change, we would not be moving towards a housing system that works for everyone.

In the rest of this report you'll read about the strides we have taken on that journey in the past year. We still have a long way to go, and we are deeply grateful to you for being on this journey with us.

  • Helen Baker

    Chair of Trustees

  • Polly Neate CBE

    Chief Executive

This content is from our 2023/24 impact report. It covers our work between April 2023 and March 2024, and all information is accurate as of this period.