Social Housing Construction for Homes crisis in UK

Social housing is a housing option that is aimed to provide homes for households with a weak negotiation position on the housing market, low-income households, physically and mentally disabled, ethnic minorities, immigrants, and asylum seekers. 

Drone view of Villa Verde in Constitución, Chile by Elemental. Image via 99 Percent Invisible

Let us take you through the critical needs and importance of social housing along with a few insights on technologies to make affordable social homes using under-utilized lands and modern methods of construction (MMC).

Need for Social Housing

As per the statistics given in UK Construction Online, the waiting lists for housing across England are estimated to be 1.6 million and the homelessness charity Crisis estimates a 168 % rise in evictions due to the cost-of-living crisis. According to a House of Commons report published in February 2022, 96, 060 households live in temporary accommodation at the end of September 2021 across England. 

Given the exponential rise in housing and energy crises, it is high time government officials take social housing as the top agenda for the government.

Features & Objectives of Social Housing 

• Social housing is provided by not-for-profit organizations like housing associations or the local council. These organizations help us to own, let, and managed the rented housing. 
• The main aim of social housing is to provide:

• More affordable homes other than private renting homes
• More secure and long-tenancy homes
• Social housing must own the following objectives:
• Social housing must be affordable for local people, the ones with local incomes.
• It must be developed for the people who need it. The law states who are entitled to social housing should get preference on the waiting list. But councils have lots of flexibility on who qualifies locally, and social landlords can refuse to let people if they so choose.
• People in social housing usually have secure tenancies, giving them greater protection from eviction and enhanced rights compared to those renting privately.
• Provide decent housing - Better insulated, more energy efficient, working fire and safety alarms.

How to Construct Affordable Social Housing?

When it comes to social housing construction and development, structures need to be developed stronger, faster, and cheaper. This is when the role of MMC and other economic construction comes into place. 

There are economic social home developers and providers like EDAROTH. At EDAROTH we offer a new way to tackle the social and affordable housing challenge. EDAROTH uses under-utilized land assets and modern methods of construction to deliver high-quality social and affordable housing within existing communities. 

Some of the technologies that can be used to affordably construct social housing:

1. Utilizing off-site-manufactured panels and steel frames
2. Modular construction
3. Superadobe structures
4. Container House

The development of social housing is still a delaying process in the states of the US and the UK. Government officials have to understand the real need of the common man and real struggling people. We need to upraise modern, eco-friendly, and economic construction. 

READ MORE: Introduction to Timber Frame Construction

SOURCE

1. Tackle homes crisis and unlock brownfield sites - UK Construction Online (ukconstructionmedia.co.uk)
2. Social Housing - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
3. What is social housing - Shelter England