Housing Crisis: Why It Must Be a National Mission

If the Government Wants to Lead, It Must Start with Housing

I’m writing this as the CEO of a specialist housing charity that provides homes for people with learning disabilities and autism. We see the reality of the UK housing crisis every day — the housing shortage, the anxiety, the ineligibility, the despair.

Now Labour is in power. But housing — the most visible symptom of national decline — is still being treated like a policy silo rather than a national mission.

This isn’t a temporary housing emergency. It is a long-term housing failure. Austerity laid the foundations. Market-driven housing policy kept it in place. And every year the government fails to name the problem, the human and financial costs grow.

Not just economic costs. But social costs. Human costs. The kind seen in foodbanks, hidden homelessness, sofa-surfing, and families waiting years for housing adaptations they are legally entitled to.

Housing Must Be Treated as Infrastructure

We speak of roads, rail, and broadband as national investments. So why not affordable housing?

Every time a decision about homes is handed over to the market, we deepen inequality. Every time housing is seen as “stock” instead of shelter, we reward speculation instead of public good.

What we need is a national housing mission that is unapologetic, accountable, and public-facing.

• A new National Housing Agency to co-fund and enable specialist and general needs housing

• Strategic, long-term partnerships with housing charities, local authorities, and ethical housing developers

• Regional housing commissions with local expertise and delivery powers

Rescue Supported Housing from Crisis

As a supported housing provider, we face continual uncertainty — on funding, planning, and political priority — even when need is urgent and growing.

Labour must:

• Create a statutory funding pathway for supported housing

• Introduce planning rules that support inclusive housing design

• Build a new deal between housing, care, and government based on delivery, not delay

Reform the Rental Market Honestly

The Renters Reform Bill is a start. But it does not go far enough.

We need a National Renters’ Charter to:

• End no-fault evictions and actually enforce tenants’ rights

• Introduce targeted rent caps in high-pressure areas

• Set up regional enforcement boards with genuine authority

This is not radical. It is long overdue.

Stop Pretending Housing Is Someone Else’s Problem

If Labour wants to show it understands how people actually live, fixing housing policy must come first.

It touches every part of government:

• Health: Unsafe homes cost the NHS billions

• Education: Without stable homes, children cannot thrive

• Work: People cannot move for jobs if there is nowhere to live

• Justice: Housing is directly linked to reoffending and homelessness after prison

Speak to People’s Lived Reality

People are not asking for miracles. Just for a country where you can live with dignity. Where a one-bedroom flat does not cost half your income. Where your adult child with disabilities has a place to live once you are gone.

It starts with housing. Always has. Always will.

Labour’s job now is not just to inherit a broken system but to build a working one.

We are ready to work with them. But the housing sector, and the country, need to see that this is not just another crisis to manage. It is the foundation for everything else.