Crisis

We’re tired of seeing divisive rhetoric repeated in the news, targeting those of us on the lowest incomes. Cutting housing benefit will do nothing to fix Britain’s housing crisis. These policies will only push more people into homelessness. The only way to address this ballooning problem is to deliver the social homes we need. A safe and stable home is the foundation of a healthy life. A base from which we can thrive in our jobs, improve our health and well-being and provide stability for our families. With housing benefit frozen, more and more people are struggling to cover the costs of everyday essentials like rent, food and bills. And because of the constant cuts and freezes to housing benefit, now only 2% of rented homes are affordable to people on the lowest incomes. This is already pushing more families into temporary accommodation. Last year, councils spent more than £2.9 billion on temporary accommodation. But, if we cut housing benefit, the cost of temporary accommodation will balloon even further. We need to focus on the evidence-based solutions. That means having a welfare system that supports people on the lowest incomes and building enough social homes. What our country does not need is more policies that create further division across society.

If we are serious about ending rough sleeping, we need to understand how it affects women differently. And so, this week, the biggest ever census of women’s rough sleeping is taking place in the North East. We know that women are often under-represented in traditional rough sleeping surveys, because they survive in places that are not included in a typical count. This leaves major gaps and often prolongs homelessness. The census will help build a clearer picture of women's experiences of homelessness and ensure services, support and investment are shaped around their needs. The Prime Minister’s commitment to ‘bring everyone in’ means that efforts to end rough sleeping are gathering pace. This new census comes at a crucial time and will ensure that the needs of women can be met and investment can be made, so they can leave homelessness behind for good. Read more: https://bit.ly/4iRCJQ5 Crisis North East

Great to be at Liberal Democrats Autumn Conference 2026 the past few days. We discussed homelessness with party MPs, including spokespeople, Gideon Amos & Wendy Chamberlain. We set out why homes can't wait and the role they can play in making sure the Government delivers on its pledge to end rough sleeping. It was also welcome to see the Liberal Democrats commit to supporting; 👉Higher standards for temporary accommodation, 👉More support with housing costs for under 35s at risk of homelessness, 👉Building 150,000 social homes per year. Ensuring that all of us can access an affordable home and changing our homelessness support system are vital as we work together to end homelessness.

A huge thank you to the team at FOOTASYLUM for supporting our work in so many ways - from donating trainers and products to volunteering their time at one of our service hubs. We’re incredibly grateful for your support and commitment to helping people experiencing homelessness.

800 runners raise £55,000 to help end homelessness🥳 WOW. What. A. Day. Thank you to everyone who took part in Together for Homes yesterday in Battersea Park. It was incredible to see so many people from across the housing sector coming together to make a difference. Congratulations to our top fundraisers: 🏆Barratt Redrow 🏆Places for People 🏆SNG (Sovereign Network Group) And to our fastest finisher of the day, who completed the 5km course in 15 minutes, 18 seconds! Wowza!⚡ A huge thank you to Stairpay, Floris ten Nijenhuis and Geeta Nanda OBE for delivering such an inspiring event. If you'd still like to support the cause, you can donate here: https://bit.ly/4rgUFpc See you in 2027!🏃♀️

Local councils' bill for temporary accommodation for people facing homelessness has hit a whopping £2.9 billion a year. What's driving this? A lack of genuinely affordable homes. Sky high rents push more people into homelessness, including into temporary accommodation. It can then be next to impossible for people to move on to a permanent home they can afford. It’s important to remember that living in temporary accommodation is still homelessness - and it can be anything but 'temporary'. Many people spend months or even years stuck in hostels or hotels – often without cooking facilities. These figures show how desperately we need to shift away from expensive temporary fixes for homelessness towards an approach that prioritises stable, permanent, and affordable homes. Homelessness is rightly being prioritised under this new government. They need to continue that momentum to prioritise ending homelessness - not just managing it. This means making homes more affordable by ensuring housing benefit actually covers the cost of rent. And it means investing now to deliver more social homes, faster. Because for those of us facing homelessness, home can’t wait. Want to help change this? Join the campaign: https://bit.ly/4x56rV9

Thinking about writing or updating your Will? This November marks our second year of partnering with Will Aid, an annual Will-making campaign run collaboratively by eight of the UK's best-known charities, including Crisis. You can write your Will with a participating solicitor who will waive their usual fees and instead invite you to make a donation. These donations are shared between the partner charities. Writing or updating your Will with a qualified solicitor can give you peace of mind that your wishes will be followed and your loved ones taken care of – while also helping to end homelessness for the next generation. Take the first step and find your nearest Will Aid solicitor: https://lnkd.in/eg5UufzX

New analysis from Zoopla suggests private rents could be around 5% higher by the end of this year than they were a year ago. More people are having to rent for longer because there are so few options available, like buying a home or being able to move into a social rent home. We know it’s getting harder for people on low incomes to find a home they can afford. Our research with Zoopla found that only 2 out of 100 homes in Britain are affordable on housing benefit. That’s not enough. A home shouldn’t be a luxury – it’s a basic right. The government must give people the support to stay in their homes. They must unfreeze housing benefit at the Autumn Budget. Can’t wait for everyone to have a safe and secure home? Neither can we. Add your name to our campaign to make homes affordable for all: https://bit.ly/4x56rV9

From the World Cup stage to the Crisis warehouse: 12 independent makers are giving unsold donated garments a new chapter. This Secondhand September, Crisis is launching UNSOLD. RETOLD. – bringing together 12 independent makers to transform unsold donated clothing into one-off pieces. The brief was simple: give these garments a new chapter. Through Create for Crisis, our ongoing maker collaboration programme, the makers were invited into our Canning Town warehouse to select items and take them wherever their own creative practice led them. The result is a series of limited collections for which existing garments have been cut, reconstructed, woven, embellished, printed, painted and transformed into something entirely original. The collective includes LUEDER (from Marie Lüder), fresh from creating a custom look for RM of BTS for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show, alongside Hadiyah Hussain, Olli Hull, Planet Soph (from Sophie Nancy), The Marcon Court Project, Owen Edward Snaith, Grandpa's Shirts (from Gabriella Owens), Kabo Clothing, Ashley Jess Knight, Green Ancestors, Che She (from Jessica Alviani), and Sean Marsh. UNSOLD. RETOLD. is also part of our work to explore new ways of extending the life of donated clothing before it moves on to textile recycling – while supporting independent creative talent and raising vital funds to help end homelessness. 50% of every sale goes to the maker, and 50% to Crisis. Discover the collections: https://lnkd.in/eZRhJNPg

Our take? Home should be a basic right. 🏠 What’s your take? Tell us in the comments.