• Sofa-surfing is the largest form of homelessness within the UK

• The government support does not provide adequately for the ‘hidden-homeless’

• Identifying through analysis those who are most susceptible to hidden homelessness

• The paper proposes specific locally-focused solutions to hidden homelessness through community centre provisions.

Hidden homelessness such as sofa-surfing is a systemically under supported issue in which the most vulnerable receive the least in government support

New research from Leeds Policy Institute (LPI) finds hidden homelessness to be a large-scale issue in which government support for the homeless fails to reach those most in need. In addition, the paper provides solutions at the local level to help alleviate the suffering caused and create long-term solutions. 

“Appropriate policies need to be introduced to tackle this form of homelessness alongside the larger fight to stop homelessness in the UK. In response to some of the key contextual features of the experience of Sofa-surfing, this paper argues for a focus on community centres as the main body to help tackle the issue.”

The paper provides a detailed overview of a systemically underrepresented type of homelessness, while also providing solutions through local and community centre-based solutions.

“Finding work is an incredibly difficult task when you don't have an address or a bank account. However, with the support of the support services at the community centres, and the provision of fixed address or access schemes such as ‘HSBC no fixed address bank accounts’, these job openings could be staffed by young people like Sofia,”  the report states. 

LPI’s Social Policy Head and paper author, Donatella Petrucci, said:

“Amid escalating rent prices and a cost-of-living crisis, our paper issues an urgent call to action against the UK's hidden homelessness crisis, especially sofa-surfing. The paper highlights that sofa-surfing, often a precursor to more severe homelessness, disproportionately impacts marginalised groups such as women and individuals on the autism spectrum, exacerbating their socioeconomic vulnerabilities and leading to long-term instability.

“The paper advocates for immediate, community-centred policy interventions, stressing the role of community centres in providing stigma-free support. This strategy is vital as private renters increasingly allocate a significant portion of their income to housing, making temporary solutions like sofa-surfing increasingly unsustainable. The approach underscores the necessity of community-based interventions to alleviate immediate and systemic pressures.”

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Notes to Editors

• ‘Sofa-Surfing: Using a Community-Based Approach to Tackle the Most Common Form of Homelessness’ is the first paper to be published by Leeds Policy Institute’s Social Policy division.

• We write our paper at a time when rising rents apply further pressure during the cost of living crisis. Those slipping into hidden homelessness are growing in number and the support they may see remains insufficient.

• With homelessness an issue of national importance, focusing on its many forms is as important as addressing the root causes.

CONTACT: thinktank@luu.group / 07895 958710

A full copy of Sofa-Surfing: Using a community-based approach to tackle the most common form of homelessness, can be read here.

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About Leeds Policy Institute

Leeds Policy Institute (LPI) is a UK-based and student-led Think Tank affiliated with Leeds University Union (a registered UK charity). It is dedicated to undertaking empirically driven and non-partisan policy research that centres on both local and national issues. 

Our 6 Policy Areas for 2024 are: 

• Macro Policy 

• Energy and Environment

• Urban Planning and Transport 

• Social Policy 

• Market Interventions 

• Financial Regulation 

Established in April 2023, the Leeds Policy Institute (LPI) endeavours to facilitate the engagement of young individuals in ongoing policy dialogues. Through initiatives encompassing funding for informative speaker engagements, publication of student-authored articles, and collaborative delivery of skill-enhancing workshops in conjunction with the university, LPI seeks to empower its student members and contribute to the betterment of society.