Shelter

Chronic government underinvestment in social housing has left homes across the country in dire need of modernisation and urgent maintenance. Public investment is desperately needed, both to improve existing homes and build new ones to tackle record homelessness. Social tenants have experienced stigma and discrimination for too long: the government must support them in having a strong local, regional and national voice. Our response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry 👇🏾 https://shltr.org.uk/cfcZD

Have you ever thought about leaving a gift in your will?    Our new film shows how you can make sure that we'll be there for years to come – standing shoulder to shoulder with people as they fight for their housing rights.    We need change. Real change.    Find out more: https://shltr.org.uk/ffcJw     Thank you to Proper Good Films, Ben Mann, and Chris Strong for their brilliant work on this film. 

‘For the Treasury, fewer social homes means huge rises in homelessness and an increase in the housing benefit bill. For cash-strapped councils, Right to Buy means higher temporary accommodation costs as they have limited options to house homeless families.’ We welcome the government's recent commitment to review Right to Buy. But the lack of social homes is an urgent problem for millions of people in England – that's why we're calling for its immediate suspension. It's already ended in Scotland and Wales, it’s time for change here. Sam from Shelter’s Policy team breaks down the problems with the outdated Right to Buy policy – from the pressure on the public purse to the impact on families being forced into homelessness because of the lack of social homes 👉 https://shltr.org.uk/7fcAh

Everyone should have a safe and stable home. And no one should ever be trapped in temporary accommodation because they’re fleeing domestic abuse. But without enough affordable homes, this is the reality for many women and families. Rebecca* knows this only too well. Content warning: domestic abuse Rebecca had to leave her home and was forced into homelessness because of domestic violence, and she and her two children were placed into unsafe, unsuitable temporary accommodation. ‘My partner was abusive. He was financially controlling. People don’t always understand domestic violence. There were people around me, but they didn’t understand, and they supported him.’ Between 2022 and 2023 there was a 24% increase in the number of households in homelessness temporary accommodation due to domestic abuse. This is because there is a lack of safe housing options for survivors. Without enough social homes, they’re expected to rent privately, but the household benefit cap makes it extremely difficult to find anywhere affordable. This means survivors can’t move on from temporary accommodation or refuges to begin rebuilding their lives. Thankfully, Rebecca and her family are now living in a social home. Rebecca contacted the Shelter emergency helpline and was assisted by Karen, who first helped the family into more suitable temporary accommodation, and then into a secure tenancy with a housing association. But there are still many women and children still living in dangerous situations. To ensure survivors like Rebecca can find a new secure place to call home and rebuild their lives, the government must scrap the benefit cap and build more social rent homes. If you’re experiencing domestic abuse and need support, you can: - Call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline (run by Refuge) on 0808 2000 247 - Get in touch with Shelter at https://lnkd.in/emJiZUn *Name has been changed.

We stand in solidary with Grenfell United, the bereaved, survivors and residents, who've fought for seven long years for justice. The legacy of the 72 people who died must be a return to major public investment in social homes, so that all social tenants have the safe and decent homes they’re entitled to.     💚Forever in our hearts.

🚨 Solving the housing emergency was a hot topic in Parliament today. A big thank you to our supporters emailing their MPs and getting these points on the agenda.

"It’s absurd that we keep throwing good money after bad into grim homeless accommodation instead of investing in solutions that would help families into a safe and secure home." 👇🏽 Shelter's Polly Neate CBE FAcSS LLD(hc) on why only social homes will end the #HousingEmergency.

📢 Everybody has the right to ask the council for help if they're homeless or facing homelessness. But asking a council for help is worrying for many. We have a guide that takes people through the steps on how to contact their council, what to say, and their rights. We also have a postcode lookup tool to find contact details for council’s homeless teams, plus template letters to use. ⏩ Please share so more people know their rights and how to get help! https://shltr.org.uk/pfcOQ

🛁'To fill a bath, you can't just run the taps – you need to put the plug in too.' More than two million social homes have been sold through #RightToBuy since the '80s, with only 2% of them replaced. In the last decade alone we've seen a net loss of 260,000 social homes, with the main driver of this being the outdated policy. This, coupled with the failure to build new social homes, has caused homelessness to DOUBLE over the same period. As well as building more social homes, the government must immediately suspend Right to Buy too. Sam Bloomer from Shelter’s Policy team dives into the detail on why it’s time to say ‘bye’ to Right to Buy 👉 https://shltr.org.uk/7fcAh

We're working on improving our advice on damp and mould - and we'd love you to get involved. We're looking for volunteers to take part in online interviews, user testing sessions and face to face focus groups. Interested in making our website better? If you can help, sign up here - it'll take a few minutes: https://lnkd.in/ePySyFk3