Our five homelessness property funds have been providing life changing homes for people at risk of homelessness since 2013. To date, around 4,000 people have been provided with a stable home and access to appropriate support where necessary, thanks to our partnerships with expert housing partners across England.

Every year since our first fund launched, we’ve conducted a tenant survey to understand the difference our homes are making to tenants’ lives, feeding this impact data – key tenant outcomes, including changes to their health and wellbeing, financial resilience and employment opportunities - into our annual social impact reports.

Our most recent, social impact report draws on data from across our five homelessness property funds, tenant surveys, housing partner insight, and independent analysis and recommendations from our independent learning and evaluation partner, Curiosity Society.

What we’ve learned about housing people in housing crisis - 6 key insights from our 2024/25 social impact report:

1. Housing stability is a foundation for positive change

The most consistent finding across our data is that secure, long-term housing creates the conditions for improved tenant resilience against homelessness.

Most of our tenants have moved out of temporary accommodation - such as B&Bs and hotels – and into settled homes, and report improvements in their wellbeing. For those tenants that completed a tenant survey:

• 59% report improvements in their mental health after settling into their new home
• 62% said their new home makes them feel better compared to where they lived before

Having a stable home enables our tenants to establish daily routines, register with a GP (98% of our tenants) – so accessing consistent healthcare - and feel secure enough to begin planning for their future,

2. Tenants coming from the most severe homelessness, such as experiencing rough sleeping, see some of the strongest positive change

Not all transitions out of homelessness and into stable housing look the same. Our report shows that people moving from the most severe forms of homelessness, eg those experiencing rough sleeping, hostels and shelters, experience the strongest positive change, particularly in their mental health and emotional wellbeing. For those tenants that completed a survey:

• 77% report a positive change in their mental health – versus 59% across all our tenants
• 68% report feeling much better in their new homes – versus 62% across all our tenants

This demonstrates how the greater the housing instability before stable and secure housing, the more transformative a settled home can be. It also highlights the importance of prioritising access to stable housing for people in prolonged housing crisis.

3. Providing tenants (who need it) with access to support alongside their new homes delivers more sustainable outcomes

Housing alone does not always resolve some of the complex challenges many of our tenants face, such as mental and physical health issues, addiction and financial hardship. Since our first fund launched in 2013, we have demonstrated how the partnerships with our trusted and expert housing partners provide a critical role in tenancy management and tailored tenant support, including:

• Helping tenants settle into their homes, particularly during the early part of their tenancy: 99% of our tenants sustain their tenancy beyond six months, and,
• Navigating health, benefits, and employment systems

As tenants settle into their stable homes, many of them are then better positioned to focus on financial stability and employment. This year’s report highlights strong levels of:

• tenancy sustainment (99%), and,
• bank account ownership (99%)

It also highlights tenants’ increasing engagement with work or employment support, a helpful reminder that financial resilience is a key factor in preventing a return to homelessness:

• 77% of tenants eligible for work either employed or making progress toward employment, and,
• 48% of those currently unemployed have improved confidence about future prospects

Our goal is to build meaningful, long-term resilience for households so that, when the right opportunity arises, tenants can move on - most often into private rented, social, or other settled housing – on their own terms. This year, 80% of our tenant move ons were positive.

Supporting tenants to move on when they’re ready, ensures our homes continue to provide a vital pathway out of housing crisis and homelessness for new tenants in need of stability and a fresh start.

And by providing tenants with access to appropriate support services, where necessary, via our funds’ housing partners, we’re demonstrating how housing plus support can help reduce the chances of tenants falling back into the ‘revolving door’ of homelessness.

4. Positive outcomes can deepen the longer people are stably housed

Some of the positive changes our tenants experience once housed can happen more quickly than others, for example access to a GP and health support and getting a bank account. Our data shows that outcomes such as improved social connection and community integration can take more time to develop and grow with longer tenancies.

Tenants who have been housed for over four years are far more likely to:

• Know most or all their neighbours – compared to new tenants who report very few (if any) of their neighbours
• Report stronger relationships and support networks

Overall, 71% of our tenants are happier in their new neighbourhoods than in their previous accommodation, and 56% reported that their tenancy has had a positive impact on their relationships.

This is particularly important given that, according to national charity, Crisis*, 3 out of 5 people with lived experience of homelessness report high levels of loneliness. Stable housing doesn’t just reduce isolation - over time, it allows people to rebuild social connections that are crucial for their long-term wellbeing, independence and chances of creating a more positive future.

5. Stable housing has transformative effects on children

Families with children now make up a significant proportion of households (65%) across our funds. Our latest impact report shows clear positive impacts on children’s wellbeing once families are settled:

• 68% of tenants with children in their household report that their new home has had a positive effect on their children’s wellbeing

And of the households with children, 67% are single-parent households. For these tenants, the positive impact of their new home on their children is even higher, at 83%, underscoring the critical role stable housing plays in supporting vulnerable families.

However, while stable housing plays a crucial role in providing security, our findings also show that housing alone is not always enough, particularly for larger families or single-parent households, with access to childcare a significant barrier.

For our tenants with children, over half lack any childcare cover, and only a third report consistent access to childcare. This contrasts sharply with the general population, where over 70% of families with young children use formal childcare. Limited access to childcare restricts parents’ ability to work, study, or engage in other opportunities, placing additional pressure on single parents who are often balancing multiple responsibilities. Addressing these challenges is critical to supporting stability, independence, and the well-being of families with children.

6. Stable housing - with support where needed - helps reduce pressure on public services

Beyond individual tenant outcomes, this year’s report also highlights how stable housing is helping to reduce demand on costly public services.

Having commissioned Alma Economics to independently assess the impact of our funds from 2025 onwards, analysis estimates significant savings to local authorities through reduced use of temporary accommodation, alongside wider savings linked to healthcare and crisis services, including:

• £1.9m social value add each year for every £10m invested
• £349 million in local authority savings by providing affordable accommodation for people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
• £196 million in public sector savings through reduced expenditure on healthcare and other services.
• £811 million in wellbeing benefits from more suitable accommodation and improved living conditions

Demonstrating that social impact investment can play a meaningful role in addressing homelessness at scale, while delivering value for local authorities.

Looking ahead

As pressures on the UK’s housing system continue to grow, our findings show that by combining social impact investment, good quality homes, and expert housing partners, we can continue to learn how to best support our tenants - not just into housing - but into lasting stability.

Read our full Homelessness Property Funds Social Impact Report 2024/25, here

Find out more about our homelessness property funds, here

Sources

All tenant outcome stats from independent analysis by Curiosoty Society of our annual tenant survey 2024/25 and as reported in our Homelessness Property Funds Social Impact Report 2024/25

*Crisis https://www.crisis.org.uk/media/20504/crisis_i_was_all_on_my_own_2016.pdf