The UK has a widely acknowledged housing problem, with too many people living in high-cost, low quality homes: one in every seven homes in England – 3.7 million different homes – were found to be ‘non-decent’ in 2022 according to the English Housing Survey.
Previous research by Demos, supported by Centre for Ageing Better, has shown that improving the quality of UK homes could provide a ‘triple dividend’, with benefits for:
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- The economy – 107,488 jobs created or sustained in related industries, £858m annual
savings to the NHS through prevention, and a £10bn annual boost to the UK. - Health – 105,151 additional years of healthy life added per year
- The environment – 744,283 tons of CO2 emissions reduced
- The economy – 107,488 jobs created or sustained in related industries, £858m annual
This briefing builds on these findings, and specifically looks into our recommendation to implement Good Home Hubs – an idea pioneered by the Centre for Ageing Better of local one-stop shops for support on housing improvements. We identify barriers to implementation, calculate current demand for services and estimate the longer term impacts of setting up Good Home Hubs across the country.