At Shelter Cymru, we believe that home is everything. As well as supporting thousands of people in Wales every year with their housing issues, we campaign to defend the right to a safe home and end the housing emergency.
JOIN THE FIGHT FOR HOME
Together, we can build a fairer future. With your help we’ll fight for greater rights and protections for renters, campaign for more social housing and be there for anyone who is affected by the housing emergency.
THE COST OF TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION
As the cost of temporary accommodation in Wales continues to rise it is putting ever greater pressure on local authorities. At the same time we know the quality of the accommodation and the length of time people are spend in it is damaging for individuals and families across the whole of Wales. Our interactive map can help you understand the cost and impact in your area as well as across Wales as a whole.
The housing emergency explained
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HOMELESSNESS
Homelessness and the risk of homelessness is a traumatic experience that no one should have to go through. But each year, thousands of people reach out to Shelter Cymru because this is the reality they are facing.
Homelessness also comes in many forms, such as street homelessness, sofa surfing, and temporary accommodation.
The Welsh Government has rightly taken steps in recent years to change things and to ensure that more people who need help can access it. This includes making sure anyone who would be living on the streets is instead offered temporary accommodation.
Temporary accommodation provides homeless households with a roof but it is far from a home. Shelter Cymru have spoken with families stuck living in hotels, caravans, and cramped flats – some of them have been living in temporary accommodation for up to two years. Time after time parents are worried about the health and wellbeing of their children and how this experience of homelessness will affect them for the rest of their lives.
Key Stats
143 rough sleepers in Wales today.
More than 10,500 people trapped in temporary accommodation.
Over £95 million spent on temporary accommodation in Wales last year. -
PRIVATE RENTING
Over the past 25 years the number of people who rent privately in Wales has exploded, and this is now the second most common type of home for a person to live in.
Private renting is also a major part of Shelter Cymru’s advice work, with almost half of cases we encounter being directly related to issues with private renting. These issues regularly include eviction, damp & disrepair, and a lack of affordability.
Ultimately, we don’t believe that the private rented sector is currently fit for purpose, and changes are needed to ensure the people who rely on it know it will provide them with a secure and affordable homes.
Key stats
17% of households in Wales are private renters.
Rents have risen by more than 30% in the past five years.
Loss of a rented tenancy is the most common reason for a household to become homeless. -
SOCIAL HOMES
Any solution to the housing emergency in Wales must include a significant increase in the number of available social homes.
Social homes are affordable by design, with rents linked to local incomes not out-of-control housing markets. But for decades we’ve failed to build enough of these, and right now 1 in every 14 households in Wales is already on a social home waiting list.
The Welsh Government has made progress on this issue, but not enough. We can’t ask people to wait a generation to get the home they need today.
Key stats
1 in 14 households in Wales waiting for a social home.
170,000 people waiting for a social home.
It will take 35 years to build the homes we need at current rates. -
A RIGHT TO ADEQUATE HOUSING
Right now, an adequate home is not a legal right anywhere in the UK.
Our homes are the foundations of our lives. We all need strong foundations to help us build happy, healthy, fulfilling lives.
This right already exists in international law, under Article 11 of the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and some countries have already put the right to adequate housing into their own laws.
A right to adequate housing would make sure that any government is planning for beyond the next Senedd term and is paving the way for long-term, sustainable solutions to the housing emergency.
Shelter Cymru strongly believes that a legal right to adequate housing would drive the changes we need to see in our housing system so that we can build a better future for this and future generations.
Key Stats
77% of people in Wales supported a legal right to housing in research carried out in 2020.
For every £1 spent in realising a right to adequate housing Wales would see £2.30 in benefit.
Read our blog
This is our blog, written by people from across Shelter Cymru with the aim of raising awareness of housing and homelessness issues in Wales and our latest work to end the housing emergency.
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Nazia’s Story
Nazia is a single mother and was placed in temporary accommodation with her three children. Nazia’s placement was unsuitable for her young son and how she worried his hyperactivity was upsetting the neighbours. “I am a single mum with three children. I stayed five or six weeks. I didn’t have tv or cartoons for children to…
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Misty’s Story
When Misty was fifteen, she was placed in a woman’s refuge temporary accommodation placement with her mother. This placement was a considerable distance from Misty’s school, which meant she had to take public transport to get there. This was a struggle for Misty, and as a result of this and the impact of temporary accommodation, her attendance fell below 40%. Misty’s first temporary accommodation placement was unsafe. The…
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Gemma’s story
Gemma has two sons and works in a specialized profession. She has been living in temporary accommodation with her youngest son for nearly a year and a half. After leaving a controlling relationship, Gemma and her children initially stayed with a family member. However, it was too overcrowded and Gemma was led to believe she would…
