‘Further and faster in the wrong direction’: disabled people condemned to homelessness
More than 60,000 disabled households in England faced homelessness last year—a staggering 75 per cent increase since 2019—and the silence from the corridors of power is deafening.
And this is strange, because Labour got into those corridors partly on a promise to end homelessness – and that can’t be done by failing to build social housing and cutting support to disable people.
This sharp rise, laid bare by new analysis from Crisis, exposes a system not merely under strain but systematically failing society’s most vulnerable.
They are not just statistics—they represent tens of thousands of people with chronic illness, mobility issues, and mental health conditions being forced into instability, temporary shelters, or life on the streets.
And it’s a crisis that hasn’t come from nowhere.
It is the product of years of austerity-driven policymaking, dwindling social housing availability, and now, under Labour, a dangerous drift toward anti-disability discrimination dressed up as fiscal responsibility.
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A broken safety net
In the final quarter of 2024 alone, more than 1 in 5 households facing homelessness included someone with a physical illness or disability.
Crisis’ research reveals a damning trend: disability-related homelessness is rising faster than general homelessness, which itself peaked in early 2024.
That means disabled people are being disproportionately hit—despite often having greater need for secure, accessible housing.
Why? Because the supply of social housing suitable for disabled people is shrinking, and support systems are being slashed.
In 2023/24, just 16 per cent of social housing lettings went to households with a disability, down from 20 per cent the year before. That’s a direct cut in access to stable homes for those who need them most.
The government’s supposed response? A spokesperson touts a £1 billion funding package for councils—a drop in the ocean compared to the actual need—and vague promises about building homes and “tackling root causes.”
Meanwhile, the “root causes” continue to be fuelled by government policy.
Welfare cuts and Starmer’s silent strategy
Earlier this year, the Labour government announced a major welfare overhaul, targeting the Personal Independence Payment (PIP)—a vital benefit for many disabled people.
While the Treasury boasts about its £40 billion in new spending, it’s clear that none of it is finding its way to the people most at risk of being pushed into homelessness.
Labour MP Paula Barker has bravely called this out, warning that some in government are racing “further and faster in the wrong direction.”
Her concern is well-placed.
While Labour won last year’s election on a promise to “end homelessness,” 10 months later no such strategy has materialised.
Let’s be clear: you cannot end homelessness while cutting support to disabled people and failing to build accessible social housing.
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The human cost
The BBC discusses Julie, a mother with severe osteoarthritis, who spent five months in temporary housing—three different hotels, none suitable for her mobility needs.
No fridge.
No proper food.
No dignity.
Her health deteriorated, and she developed type-2 diabetes. “It really affected my health,” she says.
Her story is tragically common: a health crisis leading to homelessness, and homelessness then worsening health in a cruel feedback loop.
As Alex Bax of Pathway put it: “Poor health and homelessness must be treated together”.
Right now, they’re being ignored together instead.
Where is the leadership?
Charities like Crisis are calling for the government to build 90,000 new social homes a year.
Experts are asking for joined-up thinking on health, housing, and welfare.
Councils are crying out for sustainable funding.
Instead, ministers and Treasury officials are content to repeat empty mantras and pass the blame onto predecessors—while the number of disabled people living in fear of eviction keeps rising.
This isn’t just a housing issue.
It’s a moral issue.
If we can’t guarantee a safe, secure home for disabled people, what kind of society are we?
If Labour, elected on promises of compassion and justice, can’t even halt the cruel trajectory set in motion by the Conservatives, what hope is there?
We need a radical shift—not just in policy, but in political will.
Disabled people don’t need more reviews, soundbites, or half-measures.
They need homes.
They need support.
They need action.
And they need it now.
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