Why Supported Housing Is Failing

Table of Contents

The Guardian headline – “Supported housing is on the brink of collapse.”

– The Guardian, April 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/25/supported-housing-in-england-on-brink-of-financial-crisis-charities-warn

Headlines like these are finally catching up with what those of us in the sector have known for years: that a quiet crisis is already underway.

But here’s the problem.

The headlines are focused on finance.

On regulation.

On survival.

And while those things matter, they distract from the question we urgently need to ask:

What is supported housing for?

A Broken System That Rewards the Wrong Things

Let’s be clear.

The current system rewards volume, not value.

Paperwork, not presence.

Tick boxes, not trust.

It’s a system that increasingly sees supported housing as a compliance exercise—one-size-fits-all, numbers-driven, and devoid of human texture.

At Zetetick Housing, we do things differently.

We provide homes—not units—for adults with learning disabilities, autism, and complex needs.

And we know this only works when relationships come first.

When the landlord knows the tenant’s name.

When the housing officer is on first-name terms with the family.

When the executive and non-executive alike still visit people’s homes.

That’s the model that works.

That’s the model under threat.

The Myth of the Silver Bullet

The push for all providers to become Registered with the Regulator of Social Housing is well-meaning, but flawed.

It creates a dangerous hierarchy, where charities who don’t register are seen as less serious—even when they’ve delivered value, stability, and dignity for decades.

The truth is: registration isn’t a mark of quality.

It’s a technical status—not a measure of impact, compassion, or presence.

adults with learning disabilities at a supported housing event with Zetetick housing

Housing, at Its Heart, Is Human

At Zetetick, we don’t run a property business.

We run a social mission.

We exist to ensure that adults with additional needs live in homes where they are safe, secure, and seen.

But that kind of work doesn’t fit into procurement templates.

It doesn’t show up on balance sheets.

And it’s increasingly excluded from decision-making.

So let’s be clear:

We are not the problem. We are the evidence of what works.

And unless the system starts recognising models like ours—relationship-based, partnership-driven, deeply human—then yes, collapse is coming.

But not just financial collapse.

A collapse of purpose.

A collapse of principle.

What Needs to Change – Housing that puts people first!

If we’re serious about saving supported housing, here’s what we must do:

Reform Housing Benefit to reflect real costs—including intensive housing management.
Commission based on relationships, not just unit counts.
Value smaller, charity-led models that prioritise human outcomes.
Embrace regulatory flexibility for organisations focused on ethical delivery.

Because supported housing should never be about minimum legal thresholds.

It should be about homes that empower people.