V4CE Housing Advocacy
Housing is more than bricks and mortar. It is a fundamental human need that shapes our lives in profound ways. From our health and relationships to our work, environment, and financial security, housing is the foundation on which everything else rests. Long before housing markets existed, our ancestors relied on shelter not only for survival, but to sustain kinship, care, and collective life.
Over time, we have lost sight of the intimacy and meaning of home. Housing has been transformed into a financial asset and a marker of status, rather than a place of safety and belonging. In doing so, it has become a structural tool that entrenches inequality, racialises access to space, and divides communities – raising urgent questions about who is allowed to belong, and where.
Reimagining housing requires more than policy reform alone. It demands a shift in how we value homes, communities, and one another. A just housing system is one that centres dignity, recognises the unequal distribution of power, and responds to the lived realities of those most impacted by insecurity, discrimination, and exclusion. Building resilient communities means moving beyond policies that merely manage crisis, towards systemic change that addresses the economic, racial, and environmental drivers of housing inequality.
By listening to lived experience and connecting communities with the tools to advocate for themselves, housing struggles can be transformed from isolated hardships into a shared movement for change. When people feel seen, supported, and rooted in place, they are better able to shape the policies and environments that affect their lives.
Our Housing Toolkit brings together key insights from our Housing Roundtable with researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders. It outlines the realities of the current housing landscape, the policies shaping it, and the impacts on Black and Minoritised Ethnic communities.
This toolkit is for everyone whose housing struggles are too often rendered invisible. At Voice4Change England, we envision a housing system that is safe, accessible, environmentally conscious, racially equitable, and humane.
Read Our Housing Blog Posts
Explore our most impactful housing insights - covering the policies, stories, and solutions that drive our advocacy work. From renters’ rights to equitable housing access, these pieces highlight the issues we’re tackling and the change we’re working toward.
Room for All: Race, Shelter, and the Power of Stories Event Summary
Home should be a safe haven, but the UK’s housing crisis leaves too many vulnerable. Like Awaab Ishak, whose story led to the new Awaab’s Law. Our Room For All event explored the deep impacts of unsafe housing, and called for action that goes beyond statistics. This article covers our event, housing distress, intersectionality, and our ongoing advocacy.
Women and Housing – The Past and the Present
When it comes to women and housing reform, there is a long, strong history of resilience and activism. This article explores hidden homelessness, discriminatory policies, and the heightened vulnerability of minoritised women when it comes to housing.
Room for All: Race, Shelter, and the Power of Policy Roundtable Discussion
Last year, Voice4Change England’s Policy and Influence Officer, Christabelle Quaynor, hosted the Room For All Roundtable. This internal session brought together researchers, stakeholders, and activists within the housing sector to discuss how we might identify opportunities for collaboration and collective action to ultimately generate practical policy recommendations.
Housing is centric to pretty much everything, from shaping our society, economy, psychology, family, debt, work, what unites us and what divides us. This article emphasises how housing influences everything in your life and how, by prioritising housing as a fundamental human right and implementing transformative reforms in the housing sector, we can create a more just and equitable society for all.