Southampton City Council has been selected as one of ten councils to participate in the Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS). Increasing the supply of council homes This initiative is a welcome attempt to build on local initiatives and do more to boost supply to meet housing needs. The decision further addresses the increasing concern over families living in unstable, unsafe conditions. Residents in communities such as Shirley where the CBTP are being developed have made clear their frustrations in no uncertain terms.
Bethany Filce has been settled in a Shirley council flat for almost nine years. She shed light on what she’s thinking and feeling regarding her new life after leaving home. Though she’s lived there for decades, she has no way to get back onto the housing register, so moving elsewhere is not a viable option. Filce summed up the experience of living on the 13th floor pretty well.
I would love to get out of here, ’cause it would be great to live somewhere else,” she said, expanding on her longing for a better place to call home.
While all this was going on, Sian Atkinson was working to try to steer through the perils of the housing system. She has been on the list for more than two years, waiting to get into a bigger apartment where she can accommodate herself and her three kids. Atkinson now lives in an East London council flat near Shirley. Unable to continue living with others because of overcrowding, she has now managed to get successfully onto the housing register. Her experience illustrates the growing need for bigger units as her family has expanded.
“My bed is in the alcove of the living room so I don’t have any privacy,” Atkinson shared, highlighting the difficulties she faces daily. She is optimistic that the new CHoSS initiative will give her a better shot at relocating to a roomier house.
Councillor Andy Frampton, the Cabinet Member for Housing Operations at Southampton City Council, emphasized the importance of this initiative for local authorities. He said it arms councils with the tools, advice and support they need to more effectively address their community’s housing needs.
As of Jan 2024, Southampton had 8977 households on its Housing Register demonstrating the acute need for affordable housing in the crowded city. This is exactly the kind of challenge the CHoSS program seeks to tackle – by helping councils such as Southampton to come up with better, evidence-based housing strategies.
Atkinson’s determination to find a suitable home remains strong as she looks forward to a future where her children can thrive in a more accommodating environment. “I can’t wait to get out of here and have my own bedroom again,” she expressed, conveying her hope for a brighter living situation.
