Key Points
- Waltham Forest Council plans to house residents at risk of homelessness more often outside the borough amid severe housing pressures.
- The council’s new strategy emphasises prioritising good quality homes over location.
- Waltham Forest faces a severe housing crisis, with families frequently placed in hotels or bed-and-breakfasts.
- The council is projected to exceed its budget by £31 million, nearly half of which is linked to temporary accommodation costs.
- Families report being forced to accept unsuitable housing or long-distance moves under threat of losing their housing support.
- Statutory duties to house homeless residents can be discharged if residents refuse reasonable housing offers, even if the offer is hundreds of miles away.
- Waltham Forest Council’s strategic director of place, Joe Garrod, confirmed officers will seek affordable homes outside the borough to address demand.
- The growing social housing waiting list means moving into private rented housing beyond Waltham Forest is seen as the most realistic solution for many.
Why Is Waltham Forest Looking to House Homeless Residents Outside Its Borough?
Waltham Forest Council is responding to a worsening housing crisis by considering placing residents at risk of homelessness further afield from the borough than before. As reported by Joe Garrod, Waltham Forest Council’s strategic director of place, in a report published this week and covered by MyLondon journalist Joe Garrod, the council plans to “prioritise high-quality temporary accommodation and settled homes, recognising that the rising demand means that we will need to look outside of Waltham Forest more often to find affordable homes for residents.”
The move marks a significant policy shift to address mounting pressures on temporary accommodation within the area.
What Challenges Are Driving Waltham Forest Council’s Strategy?
The local authority faces what it describes as a “severe housing crisis,” with families experiencing homelessness often placed in hotels or bed-and-breakfast style accommodation. This has become a growing financial burden. Waltham Forest Council is projected to exceed its budget by £31 million this year, with nearly half of this overspend attributed to temporary housing costs.
MyLondon’s Broken Homes campaign has highlighted the difficult situation these families face. As explained by journalist Joe Garrod of MyLondon, families often confront “take it or leave it” offers, feeling pressured to accept unsuitable homes or endure long-distance relocations to maintain access to housing support.
What Legal Duties Does the Council Have in Housing Homeless Residents?
Waltham Forest Council has a statutory responsibility to house certain residents at risk of rough sleeping or homelessness. However, Councils have the legal ability to discharge this duty if a resident refuses a “reasonable offer” of accommodation, a status referred to as being ‘intentionally homeless’.
Increasingly, this definition is used for people who reject long-distance housing placements, even those exceeding 275 miles away from home, according to MyLondon reports.
Why Is Moving Outside Waltham Forest Considered the “Most Realistic Route” for Housing?
The council’s new strategy acknowledges that the waiting list for social housing within Waltham Forest is growing steadily, producing a bottleneck for residents needing permanent homes. The report states, as shared by Joe Garrod of MyLondon, that
“for most residents, moving into the private rented sector outside Waltham Forest is the most realistic route out of temporary accommodation.”
Joe Garrod further explains that the plan will focus on securing “high-quality temporary accommodation and settled homes” but that locating affordable housing external to the borough will be necessary as demand continues to outpace supply.
How Are Residents Responding to Long-Distance Housing Offers?
Families forced to accept housing far from their support networks have reported feeling compelled to agree to offers under threat of losing their housing eligibility. The Broken Homes campaign by MyLondon has documented these experiences extensively, exposing the pressure and insecurity facing Waltham Forest’s homeless families.
What Are the Financial Implications of the Housing Crisis for Waltham Forest Council?
The council faces a significant budget overspend largely due to the costs of temporary accommodation. The £31 million projected excess budget underscores the fiscal strain of accommodating homeless households in emergency settings such as hotels and bed-and-breakfasts.
The strategy shift to offering accommodation further away from the borough aims to ease this financial pressure by accessing more affordable private rented homes outside Waltham Forest.
What Are the Ethical and Social Considerations of Housing Families Far from Their Borough?
While the council’s priority remains providing “good homes over location,” displacing families hundreds of miles away raises concerns about community disruption, access to local services, schooling, and social support networks.
These tensions are implicit in residents’ reactions reported by MyLondon, who express fears about uprooting their lives, despite understanding the council’s limited options.
