Social housing is vital to our communities.

Without it, as we’re currently seeing in the UK, many struggle to afford a place to live.

But what are social homes and how can they make a difference in the UK’s housing crisis?

What is social housing?

Social home’s rent prices are linked to local incomes. It’s regulated by the central Government.

To be considered a social home, housing must:

As a social tenant’s rent is based on their income, social housing is always affordable according to someone’s ability to pay, not what the market thinks is acceptable.

Unlike privately rented accommodation, social housing associations work on a non-profit basis.

This means that your landlord is there to support you in securing a safe, decent and permanent home, not to make profit.

As it’s easier to maintain the same home at an affordable rate, social homes enables people to settle and grow within their community.

This creates a safe and stable starting point for families to build their lives from.

This makes housing more accessible for everyone and improves quality of life of social tenants.

It’s also good for the economy. UCL estimate that £1.5 billion could be saved yearly if more was invested into social homes.

Social homes seem like an all-round good idea. So why aren’t there more of them?

The problem

In recent years, the number of social homes in the UK has declined rapidly.

This is because:

This means we’re losing more social homes than we’re building, leading to net loss of social homes. For example, in 2022 11,400 social homes were built (representing a 58% decrease since 2000) while over 22,000 social homes were sold off according to Shelter.

Due to this low supply of social homes, waitlists have reached an all time high, with some people waiting 19 years on average for a social home in Westminster.

This lack of truly affordable housing has also lead to an increase in homelessness and rough sleeping, economic instability and a worsening housing crisis.

At The Connection, we’re working to change this.

Our advocacy work is campaigning for an increase in the proportion of social housing budgets to provide homes for those who are most vulnerable or on the lowest incomes.

How can I apply for a social home?

Applying for a social home can be complicated and wait times are often long.

It’s best to check with your local council to see what the application process looks like.

If you’re looking for a social home and are currently rough sleeping in Westminster, we might be able to support you.