“Foundations” is a fitting word.
Because in housing, as in life, it’s what you build on that matters.
And when those foundations are weak – when policy, investment, and priorities don't align – the consequences are stark. For young people facing homelessness, it can mean years without stability, without safety, without a place to start from.
The new report from the APPG for Ending Homelessness makes its case with clarity and purpose. Homes. Support. Prevention. A simple message – but one we’ve made anything but simple to deliver.
There’s a lot in this report. Detailed recommendations. Stark realities. Practical steps that government could – and should – take to end homelessness. And there’s one thread running through it all: the absolute necessity of a safe, secure home.
Because without one, everything else starts to fall apart.
That’s where our industry comes in.
Because the truth is, if there aren’t enough affordable homes, no amount of good intentions will be enough. If housing doesn’t come with dignity built in, the cycle of crisis will continue. And if our systems keep pushing people into temporary, unsuitable accommodation – especially young people – we’re not setting foundations. We’re building traps.
This isn’t just about doing the right thing. It’s about avoiding the wrong future. A future where homelessness becomes more entrenched, more normalised, more permanent.
I don’t say that to point fingers. LandAid is part of this industry. We believe in what’s possible when we work together. And we’ve seen the impact that partnership can have – when property professionals use their insight, assets and ambition to create real change.
But this report invites us to think bigger. To ask hard questions. What more can we do – as a sector, as individuals – to ensure the foundations we lay are strong enough, deep enough, fair enough?
Because the climate of youth homelessness is shifting - and not for the better. If we don’t act now, we risk baking injustice into the very walls we build.
The strength of our response will rest on the strength of those foundations.
And they’re ours to build.
Paul Morrish, chief executive, LandAid, the property industry's charity aimed at ending youth homelessness