Thousands trapped in bed and breakfasts because of social housing shortfall

More than 6,000 households are living in bed and breakfasts and other temporary accommodation because they are homeless and cannot find a permanent home – nearly 1,000 more than the same time last year.

Many people end up in temporary accommodation for six months or more because there is nowhere else to go.

Wendy Dearden, Senior Policy and Research Officer at the Bevan Foundation said: “The number of households living in temporary accommodation in Wales increased by 18% during 2023-24.

“1 in every 215 households now lives in temporary accommodation and six in every 1,000 children. In some accommodation people are unable to cook a meal or wash their clothes, and have nowhere to store their belongings. They really are living in limbo.”

Shortfall

The Bevan Foundation has revealed that the main reason that households are stuck in temporary accommodation is a shortfall in the number of social homes.

Over the last forty years, almost half of Wales’ social homes have been sold off or demolished – a loss of 150,000 homes since 1981.  Not enough new homes have been built to replace them, leaving a huge shortfall of decent homes at a genuinely affordable rent.

The Welsh Government is aiming to provide 20,000 new social homes by 2026 but, while some progress has been made, it seems unlikely that the target will be met – and even then there will still be a shortfall.

Wendy Dearden continued: “Increasing the supply of social housing is the answer to finding a permanent home, but there are simply not enough homes being built.

“The Welsh Government must pull out all the stops to build 20,000 new social homes by 2026 and get ready to build even more after that.”

Complexity

 The Bevan Foundation found that the process of creating new homes is lengthy and complex. Sometimes, different government policies are in conflict, creating a real dilemma for local authorities and social landlords. The Bevan Foundation urges the Welsh Government to address three key problems:

• Finding land in the right place at the right price
• Getting permission to build
• The cost of building to high standards, getting skilled workers and getting finance.

In interviews with people responsible for building new social homes, one local authority officer speaking anonymously said: “Someone waiting for a house today would be waiting 3 or 4 years to get a key if we were just starting to work on a scheme. In many ways, construction is the easy bit.

“We could be working up a scheme for a good number of years before we’re even able to put a spade in the ground.”

A housing association director told the Bevan Foundation: “We know that we need more homes now, but the convergence of different policies – improved energy performance, sustainable drainage systems, net gain biodiversity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions – and the pressures they place on a potential scheme mean that it can often take years between inception and a start on site.”

Response

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Tackling homelessness and delivering more homes is a key priority for this government and we have set a challenging target and allocated record levels of funding this Senedd term, with more than £1.4bn invested so far.

“The increase in people being supported with temporary accommodation reflects the ongoing pressures within the system and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis on individuals and households.

“Despite the challenges, we continue to take a ‘no-one left out’ approach in Wales and, this year alone, are investing almost £220m in homelessness prevention and housing support to help reduce the flow of people needing temporary accommodation.”