Hopestead director calls for urgent action on housing crisis
Lucy Parish has delivered a stark warning about the devastating human cost of homelessness.
The Hopestead director of operations gave a call to action at the Housing 2025 conference in Manchester on June 26, sharing the harsh reality facing hundreds of thousands of people across the UK.
Speaking as part of the panel discussion ‘The human cost of the housing crisis’, Ms Parish opened by telling the story of Sarah – a mum of two who lost her job during the pandemic and spent eight months sofa-surfing with her children before being moved into temporary accommodation.
"When they were finally housed in social housing, it was just four walls and a key,” she said. “They had no beds, no cooker, no flooring. Just four walls and a roof".
Ms Parish was clear about the scale of the problem facing the country.
"Today, over 370,000 people in the UK are experiencing homelessness,” she said. “More than 165,000 children are trapped in temporary accommodation – many in conditions that would be deemed unfit for anyone."
But Ms Parish said that the issue goes far beyond housing. "Let's be clear: homelessness is a health crisis," she said. "People experiencing homelessness face severe barriers to healthcare – stigma, digital exclusion, and unsafe practices across the NHS."
The statistics Ms Parish shared paint a devastating picture. People experiencing homelessness are nine times more likely to die by suicide, while children sleeping on floors develop chronic respiratory problems. "Families without heating face impossible choices between warmth and food," she said.
Lucy Parish, Hopestead's director of operations, speaks at Housing 2025 in Manchester.
"Children are dying. People experiencing homelessness face depression, PTSD, and emotional exhaustion. Children in insecure housing show signs of trauma – sleep disturbances and withdrawal. Families are torn apart by overcrowding, isolation, and the constant fear of displacement."
Ms Parish highlighted Hopestead's work through its Hope at Home programme, which has supported 670 people this year, achieving a 97% tenancy sustainment rate. And Hopestead’s Hope Funds project has provided £166,000 in grant funding to 17 homelessness organisations, supporting over 15,000 people.
Lucy Parish taking part in a panel discussion at Housing 2025, with Inside Housing contributing editor Peter Apps.
But Ms Parish emphasised that individual organisations cannot solve this crisis alone. "We need urgent, systemic change. And we know what works," she said.
Ms Parish said a three-point plan was needed, centring on treating housing as healthcare, providing integrated trauma-informed care from day one, and holding providers accountable through national standards for safety, hygiene, and time limits in temporary accommodation.
Ms Parish said: "Let's not wait for another report, another tragedy, another child lost in the cracks. Let's act boldly, urgently, and together. Because everyone deserves a place to call home."