Wales needs a new strategic focus to address housing crisis
The housing crisis is one of the top issues facing Wales today. But are we, the public, willing for our taxes to be spent on tackling the issue? And are we prepared for more social housing to be built in our communities? Here, the Chartered Institute of H
IHAVE been a fully-fledged member of the housing sector in Wales for just over a year now, since taking up my role at CIH Cymru in February last year.
I was quickly struck by the conversations I had with colleagues in the housing sector about their commitment to build more homes, to regenerate communities and provide front-line services to some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in our communities.
Everyone I spoke to was also aware of the role that good, affordable housing played in saving money from other areas of the public purse.
And then followed a series of events which meant housing has started to dominate the news – the tragedy of the Grenfell tower fire and the nightly media reports on the rough-sleeping epidemic during an incredibly challenging winter and the harrowing stories of the effects of the roll-out of Universal Credit and other welfare reforms starting to fully bite.
Evidence tells us that high-quality, safe, affordable housing does and can have a huge impact on people’s wellbeing, and manage demand on other vital public services.
Better housing equals better health equals less strain on acute hospital services, saving the NHS money in the long run.
We also know that an awareness and early intervention by social landlords into Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) leads to a more positive childhood experience and aids positive family dynamics while decreasing the likelihood that these young people will go on to commit crime or suffer from mental health issues later in life – equalling less demand on police and social services.
More housing available at social rent means fewer people on waiting lists to be housed, which equals people have the home that suits their need.
Just a few simple equations that make perfect sense to housing professionals, but how far is this a view shared by the public or those with their hands on the levers of power and, most importantly, the public purse strings?
The Welsh Government has been far more supportive than counterparts at the other end of the M4, providing large sums in terms of grants to build new housing.
But has it been enough and has there been enough revenue support in terms of the value-added services that social landlords provide – services that I outlined above?
After Grenfell, the Prime Minister promised to “take personal charge” of solving the housing crisis and has hosted housing summits in Downing Street.
The Welsh Government has announced increased funding to build more affordable homes and announced new strategies such as the Rough-Sleeping Action Plan and the roll-out of Housing First – a principle whereby the first step in supporting someone who is sleeping on the streets is to provide them with a home and then bring the associated support services to them.
And only yesterday, they announced a new review into the mechanism to provide greater support to the development of affordable housing.
All worthy and welcome, but is it enough? Is what we really need a strategic change in the way government spends our public money, directing more of it away from direct NHS spend to providing more social housing and associated services? That is, spend more of the money directed to the health services on housing solutions to save the NHS money in the long run.
To do that, the government needs the court of public opinion on its side, which is why CIH Cymru decided to take a barometer of public opinion. Do we really want to spend more money on social housing and are how happy are we for it to be built near us?
It’s encouraging that the survey results show the Welsh public’s support for addressing the housing crisis in Wales.
Despite some of the negative stereotypes, people who live in social housing have a positive experience of their home and this is something for the sector to feel real pride.
At a time when we are seeing record spending on the NHS, at around 58% of the Welsh block grant by 2021 according to Wales Governance Centre, it’s good to see that the public understands the need to redress the balance of priorities by increasing investment in social housing.
We know that this reduces pressure on health services and, most importantly, helps people live independently, and this may be a better and more cost-effective way of spending that money.
While people generally see homeownership as desirable, there must be a push towards increasing the recognition that we must develop a single cohesive housing system – where, whether renting or buying, people feel they can access a safe, affordable, high-quality home.
This survey marks the start of a really exciting time at CIH Cymru. Our Tyfu Tai Cymru project seeks to bring housing policy to life, gaining the views of experts from the housing sector, local communities and beyond.
Engaging the public in this way lays the foundations for the work we’ll be doing going forward.