The benefits of social homes: Shelter and IKEA’s groundbreaking research underway

New figures show the worsening housing emergency

Government figures out today show there are now over 1.3 million households waiting for a social home. And last week new statistics revealed another record number of children living in temporary accommodation. 159,000 children are growing up homeless – an increase of 15% in the last year.

At the end of November, IKEA handed in a joint letter as part of our powerful joint campaign ‘Unwelcome Home’ calling on the government to invest in the 90,000 social rent homes that are needed each year to end the housing emergency. The letter was signed by 12,000 Shelter supporters and IKEA customers.

The campaign highlighted the damaging effects of living in temporary accommodation that is often cramped and in poor condition. Shelter’s 2023 Still Living in Limbo report found that three-quarters of households in temporary accommodation live in poor conditions and more than a third of families say their children have to share a bed. Our recent video is a powerful reminder of this grim reality.

Groundbreaking research underway

To make the case for government investment in social rent homes, we want to show the benefits of living in social housing. That’s why we’re working with IKEA to carry out a groundbreaking longitudinal research project. The project will survey the same social tenants over 18 months to understand the impact of moving into a social home.

The research is a pivotal step in our long-term partnership with IKEA which is seeking to defend the thing we value most: home.

Since our last update announcing the start of the research project, we’ve been busy working with the Housing Association Charitable Trust (HACT) to set up the two advisory groups and design the survey. The survey covers several key themes, including the impact on people’s health, wellbeing, employment and financial situation, and on children’s lives.

New research milestone achieved

In the last few weeks, we’ve reached a new milestone: we’ve started collecting responses from new social tenants. The research is focused on people who have moved from a private rented home or from being homeless, including living in temporary accommodation.

Thank you to the social landlords taking part in the project to help us reach new social tenants and gather this vitally important evidence.

Please get in touch if you work with or for a landlord who might be interested in getting involved. We’re still looking for more landlord partners to ensure we reach as representative a group of new social tenants as possible.

Complete this form if you’d like to keep up to date with the research project more broadly.

Social rent homes are vital to meet the government’s housebuilding target

Building more social rent homes will help to boost the economy through construction and provide savings to key services, including homelessness, healthcare and education.

Social homes are also needed to meet the government’s 1.5 million homes target. Recent analysis by Savills and the New Economics Foundation (NEF) demonstrates that there’s not enough demand for private homes to meet the target. The NEF report suggests that 365,000 social rent homes are needed to meet the government’s 1.5 million target.

However, we’re yet to see a commitment to social rent homes as part of the government’s overall housebuilding target. Last year we delivered fewer than 10,000 social rent homes – nowhere near the 90,000 needed every year.

Positive steps already announced

Our Brick by Brick report published earlier this year sets out the changes needed to achieve a social housing revolution. The key barrier to significantly increasing the delivery of social rent homes is the lack of grant funding.

In the Autumn Budget, Rachel Reeves made an announcement around topping up the existing 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) that provides grant funding for ‘affordable’ homes, including social rent homes. The government also announced changes to Right to Buy, including a reduction in the discounts available for people to buy their social home. This will help to stop the leak and give councils more confidence to start building again.

Support our social housing campaign

The Spring Spending Review is the next major opportunity to ask for more investment in social rent homes as the government will be setting budgets for the next five years. We’re also hoping to see a commitment to investment in social housing at the forefront of the government’s child poverty strategy.

Significantly increasing grant funding for social rent homes is needed to deliver the 90,000 social homes we need every year for ten years to end homelessness. To join the campaign for social housing sign up today.