Inside Housing – Home – The Welsh government’s investment in homelessness has potential with the right strategy

The Welsh government recently reported that the number of households assessed as homeless increased by 7% from 2022 to 2023, with almost 12,500 households finding themselves in this situation. There was also a 25% increase in households identified as unintentionally homeless and in priority need, with over 5,000 falling into this category.

Many of these people are already being supported by housing associations across Wales. The largest misconception when we say “homeless” is that this means sleeping rough. However, it often means people are sofa-surfing, staying in temporary accommodation (which, in many cases, is a hotel room), or living in their cars.

As a housing association, we have a responsibility to support our tenants as best we can. Of course we want to provide a safe, warm home, but we also want to provide well-being advice alongside practical guidance on how to juggle incoming and outgoing costs.

This is why we developed an all-year, in-house money advice service, offering guidance on managing debt, rent and benefits, as well as signposting people to additional funding sources that are available.

We have experienced an exceptional need for this service over the past 12 months. So far in 2023-24, our community inclusion coaches have opened 275 support cases, and our money advisor has opened over 140 money advice cases. There has also been a big increase in tenants coming to us for emergency food and fuel vouchers.   

“We developed an all-year, in-house money advice service, offering guidance on managing debt, rent and benefits, as well as signposting people to additional funding sources that are available”

A key concern of ours is the substantial lack of suitable homes. We believe that this should be a focus for the investment of funds. Hundreds of new homes are being developed across Cardiff, particularly in the north of the city, but very few meet the needs of the people who are most vulnerable. Many of the homes are too expensive for people on a low income and are unsuitable for those requiring specialist support due to poor physical and mental health.

We recognise that increasing the number of affordable homes quickly is a priority for the Welsh government. As an organisation, we are trying to address the housing shortage both by improving existing properties, as well as developing new affordable homes for families and single people.