Looking ahead
We have celebrated major victories in our fight for home over the past year thanks to supporters like you. But we will not stop striving until everyone in England has a safe and stable home.
This year, Shelter is excited to welcome our new Chief Executive, Sarah Elliot. Sarah has over 15 years of senior leadership experience in the non-profit sector and joins from the role of Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) – England's largest membership organisation for the voluntary sector.
She also brings a deep understanding of issues relating to homelessness and insecure housing from her service on the board at food poverty charity Trussell.
On joining as Chief Executive, Sarah said:
'I am honoured to have the opportunity to build on Shelter's incredible track record successfully campaigning for, and supporting, those affected by the housing emergency. Like everyone who is part of this incredible charity, I am impatient for change and am determined to help us deliver it.'
Strategic plan
Sarah will lead the delivery of our new, four-year strategic plan. Between 2025 and 2029, we will focus on three strategic goals:
Demand and secure a new generation of social homes
Strengthen and enforce the right to a safe home for all
Build a coalition to secure long-term change
These goals have been co-created with people with lived experience, building on the deliberative research that informed our 2024 general election manifesto in England.
Anti-racism, equity and inclusion are embedded in all three strategic goals. We will continue to call out racism and work with our supporters, fellow campaigners and politicians to break down the systemic racism that is part of our housing system.
We will work alongside the people most affected and implement the recommendations of an extensive review into how race affects how people access and experience our services.
To achieve our goals, we will:
Deliver unmissable campaign action
This year, figures like Suggs, Naomie Harris and Craig David shared their experiences of growing up in social housing, garnering national news coverage and millions of impressions across our platforms.
We have more exciting campaign action and collaborations planned to build a national movement behind our strategy.
Undertake cutting-edge research and policy development
We will continue to work closely with the government on the Renters' Rights Act. We’ll also progress our research to develop the economic case for building social rent homes.
Provide vital national services
Shelter’s free national helpline and webchat, and local advice services at our hubs will be there for people in urgent need of support with housing issues. We will continue to update and expand our directory of online advice pages, making complex housing legislation easy to understand.
Drive local action
For example, through our dedicated Family Services, which will continue to prevent and resolve child homelessness in Sheffield, Bristol and London. And through our North-East Community Organiser, who is supporting residents in the former mining town of Horden to campaign for a fairer regeneration process.
Your support matters more than ever
By supporting Shelter, you're standing with people like the Marshall family* in Birmingham.
The Marshalls were living in dangerous conditions, with two adults and four children confined to a tiny space which was covered in damp. Staff from Shelter's Birmingham hub visited the family and gathered evidence that their accommodation was damaging the family’s health.
Their furniture, bedding and mattresses were soddened wet, and the family were suffering with a range of health issues, including asthma, bronchitis and sinus infections.
After Shelter's legal team presented their case to the council, the family were quickly moved to a new home that was clean, safe and spacious. The Marshall family are now happy and settled with the stability and comfort they deserve.
*Name changed to protect anonymity
This content is from our 2024/25 impact report. It covers our work between April 2024 and March 2025, and all information is accurate as of this period.