Spiralling council house rent and new government measures on who can buy social housing is stopping integrating the vulnerable back into society, a Sheffield charity has claimed.

Changes announced by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, in addition to the increased cost of living, has caused low income communities to resort to seeking support from charities.

Lesley Morgan, 58, a Community Manager Emmaus Sheffield, from Gleadless said: “Coming here has inspired me to help rebuild people’s lives, and we have lots of success stories where we have changed peoples lives for the better.”

Mrs Morgan emphasised how one of the biggest problems for the charity is their inability to get people into social housing.

“That’s our crisis here, for me it’s about getting people back out into society, getting them a job and getting them somewhere affordable to live because that’s the problem.”

Emmaus Sheffield has 18 rooms and provides housing and support for former homeless people, whilst allowing them to work for the charity to help regain their independence. 

Due to private landlords increasing their prices, the bidding process for properties has become very difficult, especially for those trying to get back into society and secure employment.

“Our aim is to move people on as and when they’re ready to move on. After coming here I can see how we can change people’s lives,” said Mrs Morgan.

The charity helps residents gain driving licences, employability skills and also supports them once they have got a job and somewhere to live.

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Several charities across Sheffield have tried to support low income families following the decline in social housing and the major difficulties to find somewhere suitable yet affordable to live.

According to Shelter, between 2022 and 2023 there was an overall loss of 11,700 social rent homes in England, a figure contributing significantly to the social housing crisis.

Under 20,000 homes were lost through sales and a further 3, 000 were demolished, increasing the demand on housing charities.

The Emmaus charity has implemented initiatives such as enterprises, a charity shop and donations to generate revenue to provide food, necessities and a small allowance to support those who are most impacted by the crisis.

To support Emmaus follow them @EmmausSheffield on Facebook and @EmmausSheffield on X, and to learn more visit Welcome to Emmaus Sheffield