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Social housing allocations failing those in greatest need, warns CIH
Social housing allocation rules are failing those in greatest need, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has claimed, calling on the government to overhaul the system in order to protect households at risk.
In a report published today, titled Rethinking Allocations, the sector body said councils and housing associations are excluding vulnerable people through their approach to new tenancies.
It called for local authorities to take households’ specific circumstances and accommodation history into account when considering their applications to join the housing waiting list.
The report also recommends that ministers develop a single code of guidance for councils on social housing allocations.
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Faye Greaves, policy and practice officer at the CIH and author of the report, said: “For decades we have failed to build enough homes, and our welfare safety net is no longer fit for purpose.
“More and more people are turning to local authorities and housing associations for help to access social housing.
“But that leaves housing providers having to find a balance between people in acute need, local priorities and their need to develop sustainable tenancies.
“What we found is that relying solely on processes can end up having the opposite effect to that intended.”
There are currently at least four million households in England waiting for social housing.
The report also recommends that housing providers make some of their homes part or fully furnished and consider ways to improve the marketing of tenancies, particularly in low demand areas.
And it said councils and housing associations should work together to make nominations agreements work more effectively.
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Steve Jennings, chair of South Liverpool Homes, which sponsored the report, said: “The housing crisis has produced an increasingly complex challenge for those charged with allocating local authority and housing association homes.
“But as a sector we must remember that we are dealing with people who need a home, so we must put them at the heart of any process to allocate the ones we own and manage.
“Rethinking Allocations provides us all with food for thought and contains clear recommendations for local authorities, providers and government.
“A wide-ranging review deserves wide-ranging action, so let’s make it happen.”
The full report is attached.
