Recent analysis from the Welsh government shows an increase in total social housing space including bedsits and bed spaces. Total social housing units were recorded as 247,389 at the end of March, up from 244,260 at the same time last year, coming to an increase of 1%.
Wales has found itself gripped in a similar way by the housing crisis as the other nations of the UK. Homelessness in Wales is at historic levels, with over 6,000 households living in temporary accommodation, many for over six months, and an estimated 90,000 people on social housing waiting lists.
This is important context for the historic election win of Plaid Cymru earlier this year, who put housing front and centre of their election campaign. Some of the parties commitments to reversing the housing crisis include the development of Unnos, a dedicated government body aimed at assisting associations and councils in delivering further affordable housing, as well as enshrining a right to adequate housing in Welsh law.
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Social homes account for roughly 18% of the housing stock in Wales, split between housing associations and council ownership, with 67% run by housing associations and the remaining 37% governed by local authorities. This social housing stock is divided unevenly between regions, ranging from just over 10% to nearly 25% of the housing stock in some areas.
The Bevan Foundation released a research report earlier in the year pointing to the potential for mass tenure shifts in Wales to provide additional resources in the fight against the housing crisis. The report focuses on the existing homes and spaces that have remained empty for extended periods of time, with over 20,000 empty for more than 6 months each year. The report estimates that nearly 5,000 of these could be brought back into use with relatively short timeframes, providing a short-term boost in the mission to reduce rough sleeping and other forms of homelessness.
Plaid Cyrmu’s victory in Wales highlights the hunger for change in the country’s housing system, with nearly one in 14 households in the country waiting for appropriate accommodation. The party has made a number of key pledges to resolving the housing crisis, not least enshrining the right to adequate housing in law, an admittedly long process, but one that will provide defined legal parameters outlining the urgency of the crisis.
