About – Homes For People We Need

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Homes for People We Need is an informal collective of organisations, experts and practitioners from across the housing and real estate sector who share a common goal: to help solve the UK’s housing crisis. We believe that everyone needs a safe, secure and affordable home, and that delivering more social rent housing is central to achieving this along with other affordable tenures.

This paper, Making Social Rent Homes Viable, brings together the knowledge and experience of a wide range of contributors – from think tanks and policy specialists to developers and housing providers. By working collaboratively, we have been able to explore the barriers to delivering Social rent homes at scale and to put forward practical, evidence-based solutions.

Grainger plc, as the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, investor in two For Profit Registered Providers and a track record of JV partnership with the public sector, understands the challenge and benefits of providing rental homes in the UK and how essential it is to consider the cost of capital and how this must be modelled financially.

Grainger plc therefore used its wide network of contacts to convene the informal group, we’re calling Homes for People We Need.

The result is a widely shared endeavour between public sector peers, private sector peers, lobby groups and policymakers seeking to ensure that the insights of expert practitioners are heard and that the resulting solutions are practical, scalable and focused on delivering social rent homes for people we need.

“This report underscores the urgent need to expand affordable and social rent housing through measures like tax credits and fiscal stimulus. The June 2025 Spending Review’s £39bn, alongside the 10-year rent settlement and convergence, will recapitalise the HA sector and partly meet demand. Yet further industry and government intervention is essential to amplify this investment and deliver more social rent homes. A strong cross-subsidy from private tenure remains critical to reducing reliance on public funds.”
– Vistry Group

“Social rent homes are vital for many people, yet they are often in short supply. This is an important paper that uses careful data analysis to reveal the true cost of providing social rent homes in different locations. It also suggests that as a society we are missing out on the wider benefits of social rent by focusing too much on upfront costs.”
– Dame Kate Barker, British Economist

“We’re proud to contribute our expertise to this important work. Grainger understands both the challenges and the benefits of delivering new homes in the UK, and how essential it is to factor in the cost of capital and the true cost of delivering social housing. A home is the foundation for life and essential to the growth and wellbeing of our communities. Delivering social rent homes is not only critical to addressing the housing crisis, it will also enable us to address the viability challenges of housing projects across all tenures, helping to unlock a broader mix of homes and create balanced, sustainable communities.”
– Helen Gordon, Chief Executive of Grainger plc

“Delivering social rent homes at scale is not just a policy ambition – it’s a social and economic necessity. We know from experience that stable, affordable homes transform lives and strengthen communities. But to meet the scale of need, we must be bold: that means long-term investment, innovative funding, and a shared commitment across government, industry, and society. The time for incremental change has passed; we need decisive action to ensure everyone has a safe, secure place to call home and I am delighted that Grainger has convened the industry and policy makers on this critical issue.”
– Fiona Fletcher-Smith, CEO of L&Q

“The scale of housing need we are facing across the country means that we urgently need government investment in social housing. Making Social Rent Homes Viable clearly sets out the challenges we face in removing barriers to delivery, and by emphasising both the social and economic value that social homes bring, makes a compelling and timely argument.”
– Chris Williamson, RIBA President

“There is a huge need for Social Rent homes, and this report provides a practical solution for how they can be delivered. Our work through Just Build Homes demonstrates that supporters of new housing are often those that are facing acute housing pressures and unaffordable rental costs. We join the calls for the decisive action needed to expand affordable housing and address the UK’s housing crisis.”
– Wyn Evans, Co-founder and Director, Shared Voice

“This is an investor-literate, Treasury-facing argument rather than a planning or social-policy document. Its greatest value lies in showing how a commercially minded actor like Grainger frames social rent as fiscally rational and investable.”
– Richard Berridge, Blackbird Real Estate Advisory

“Beacon Partnership supports the ‘Making Social Rent Homes Viable’ report. The paper assesses the market situation and financial position of developing in the UK accurately and concludes with a call for action that could support development of 90,000 Social Rent homes. Beacon Partnership supports the paper as recognised experts in financial viability modelling and subsidy management in the affordable housing sector.”
– Doug Sargeant, Associate Director at Beacon Partnership

Making Social Rent Homes Viable sets out a rigorous, data-driven analysis of the economic realities of delivering the social rent homes we so desperately need, bridging the gap between policy ambition and financial feasibility. By demystifying subsidy requirements and proposing actionable funding mechanisms it shows that there are practical ways, even within current spending restrictions, to leverage investment into genuinely affordable and high quality social housing. – Radix Big Tent

The debate around social rent homes is too often clouded by misconceptions and wishful thinking. The reality is that without a genuine understanding of the financial and practical barriers we face, well-intentioned policies and initiatives will fall short. As developers, we are ready and eager to deliver the homes our communities need but we cannot do it alone. We need policymakers, partners and the public to see the full picture – social rent homes require sustained, substantial investment and subsidy. Only by closing the knowledge gap can we start to make genuine progress on the housing permacrisis. We welcome the clarity and evidence this paper brings to the conversation. – Pip Prongué (Executive Managing Director), Wates Residential

The Good Economy welcomes the ‘Homes for People We Need’ report — a rigorous and timely analysis that brings much-needed clarity to the viability challenges facing the housing sector. By grounding its recommendations in robust data and practical insight, it provides a valuable roadmap for how public and private partners can work together to deliver the affordable, high-quality homes our communities urgently need. – Sarah Forster, CEO and co-Founder, The Good Economy

I know first-hand what it means to be homeless without a stable home. It shapes every part of your life your education, your confidence, your ability to dream. That is why the ideas in this report matter so deeply. Social rent homes are a important part of the foundation on which stable communities are built. If we get this right, we don’t just build houses we transform futures. We reduce homelessness, ease the pressure on councils, The approach set out here shows that social rent at scale is financially possible. – Lord Bailey of Paddington

“This is a captivating report that highlights the scale of the housing crisis whilst clearly quantifying the financial ask of addressing it. Although many in the industry recognise that we need about £18 billion a year to get the ball rolling, having this figure set out and evidenced here, is essential for local and central Government and the general public to understand the scale of the crisis we are facing. This is compulsory reading for anyone serious about delivering affordable homes.” – Neil Jervis, Partner, Red Loft

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info@homesforpeopleweneed.co.uk

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