We all need a warm, safe, and affordable home to support our health

Crisis, the national charity for ending homelessness, is partnering with Health Equals to develop policy solutions that aim to improve access to decent, genuinely affordable homes so that everyone across the UK has the benefit of this essential building block for good health and wellbeing.  

The world around us shapes our health: from homes that are affordable, warm and safe, to the clean air we need to breathe. But right now, a lack of decent, genuinely affordable homes across Britain is damaging people’s physical and mental health and putting them at greater risk of homelessness. 

The cost-of-living crisis has exposed the precarious and unsuitable homes people are living in more than ever. Too many people are facing rents they can’t afford, meaning they are being forced to either live in poor-quality homes or face homelessness. Both options can have a significantly negative impact on our mental or physical health. 

Too many people are facing rents they can’t afford, meaning they are being forced to either live in poor-quality homes or face homelessness. Both options can have a significantly negative impact on our mental or physical health. 

People who can’t afford decent homes are most likely to live in properties affected by damp and mould, with sometimes dire consequences for their health. While people forced into homelessness because homes are unaffordable are at a significantly higher risk of developing physical and mental health conditions compared to the general population. 

The system is broken 

There has never been a more urgent need for the UK Government to redesign this broken system. Crisis predicts that 300,000 households could be homeless this year if the government doesn’t act.

Too many people are being forced into homelessness because homes are unaffordable. We know that homelessness can be catastrophic for people’s mental and physical health.  A recent survey of people experiencing homelessness found that 78% had a physical health condition, and 82% had a mental health diagnosis. 

Decent, genuinely affordable homes provide comfort and security. They are the foundation for our lives and support our mental and physical health. That’s why it’s essential for everyone in the UK to be able to access and afford a decent home and why we can’t go on like this. 

That’s why it’s essential for everyone in the UK to be able to access and afford a decent home and why we can’t go on like this. 

Helping more people access affordable homes 

We know that homelessness is solvable with the right political will. 

That is why Crisis has joined the Health Equals campaign alongside 30 other organisations to shape a new conversation about how the world around us, including our homes, shapes our health. 

We want the UK Government to improve access to decent, genuinely affordable homes so that everyone across the UK has the benefit of this essential building block for good health. Together, we’re calling on the UK Government to: 

• put in plan a clear plan to deliver genuinely affordable homes 
• improve access to decent, genuinely affordable homes  
• increase housing benefit to prevent homelessness. 

 An exciting new opportunity to influence change 

To help us call on the UK Government to make this vital change, Crisis is leading an exciting 12-month project funded by Health Equals, which will focus on developing and strengthening policy solutions that increase access to genuinely affordable homes. 

In particular, this project will focus on improving access to privately rented homes that are genuinely affordable. This is crucial to ending homelessness and improving people’s health, particularly while there is a chronic lack of social housing. 

Crisis aims to build a strong consensus among parliamentarians for policy changes that places genuinely affordable homes at the heart of renting reforms, and support calls for government to build significantly more social homes to meet housing need over the long term. 

Partnering with Health Equals and its members, Crisis aims to reach and involve those most affected by unaffordable homes and compounding health inequalities so that the changes we call for have the greatest impact for those who need them most.  

Partnering with Health Equals and its members, Crisis aims to reach and involve those most affected by unaffordable homes and compounding health inequalities so that the changes we call for have the greatest impact for those who need them most.  

Get involved 

Are you inspired to get involved? We’re hiring a Senior Policy Officer to lead this initiative. Find out more and apply by Sunday 16 April.  

Crisis helps people directly out of homelessness across Britain, and campaigns for the changes needed to end homelessness for good.