Politics Home | Why housing must sit at the heart of the government’s approach to health

Health outcomes are shaped long before someone reaches a GP surgery or hospital. They are shaped by the homes people live in, their communities, and whether daily life supports or undermines long, healthy lives.  

As Clarion marked its 125th anniversary last year, we brought together residents, partners and experts to look beyond immediate pressures and ask what will shape wellbeing over the coming decades. The result was the Five New Giants of Opportunity report, which sets out five conditions society must get right for people to thrive: health, connectedness, resilience, trust and sufficiency, with housing sitting at the centre of all five. Health is the defining giant of our time, and if the government is serious about shifting from reactive healthcare to prevention, housing policy must be treated as core health policy. 

Too often, poor housing and poor health are locked in a vicious circle. Cold, damp or overcrowded homes drive respiratory illness, anxiety and long-term conditions. That limits people’s ability to work, deepens poverty and increases pressure on public services. The NHS spends an estimated £1.4bn a year treating illnesses linked to cold or damp homes, rising to £15.4bn once wider costs such as lost productivity are included.  

Our own evidence shows how this plays out in communities. Clarion’s survey of more than 2,000 residents shows that health is now the biggest barrier to employment for unemployed working-age people. Nearly half of residents report a disability or long-term condition, while 15 per cent experience chronic loneliness. These pressures are seen daily in GP surgeries, hospitals, and local authorities.  

Much of this challenge is structural. A significant proportion of the nation’s social housing was built quickly after the war. Many homes are now ageing, overcrowded and harder to keep warm, safe and healthy. Without sustained investment, the consequences do not disappear; they simply reappear elsewhere in the system, often at higher cost.  

We see the benefits when that investment is made. Last year alone, Clarion invested £418m in improving and maintaining homes, with more than 15,500 households benefiting from retrofit upgrades to reduce cold, damp and associated health risks. More than three quarters of our homes now meet EPC C or above, but millions of homes nationally still fall short. Home quality directly affects energy bills, household finances and long-term health outcomes.  

Housing’s contribution to health goes beyond bricks and mortar. Last year, Clarion supported more than 1,500 residents into employment and over 5,600 into training, alongside providing wellbeing spaces that attracted more than 36,000 visits to support mental health and reduce isolation.  

Policy certainty means the question is no longer whether housing can support prevention, but how fast and at what scale. Long term rent stability and access to low cost finance should help unlock delivery alongside our colleagues in the NHS and local government. 

We welcome the government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England and its emphasis on care delivered closer to home. Housing providers, rooted in neighbourhoods and trusted by residents, are well placed to support this shift as the NHS strengthens its role as an anchor institution within local communities.  

Health does not stand alone. It is inseparable from whether people feel connected rather than isolated, resilient rather than exposed to shocks, able to trust institutions, and confident that their home and income are sufficient to live well. These are the Five New Giants of Opportunity. Tackling them together, and recognising housing as foundational to all of them, offers government one of the most effective routes to improving health outcomes and building a more resilient society. 

Read the Five New Giants of Opportunity report here.