Commonweal publishes 2025/26 Annual Review

Commonweal Housing has published its latest Annual Review, detailing a busy twelve months investigating and piloting housing solutions to social injustice. It summarises project and research activity across Commonweal's thematic areas: criminal justice, at-risk youth, migration, asylum, and trafficking, and gender-based violence.

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This year's review is particularly special as it marks Commonweal’s 20th anniversary, celebrated at a recent gathering with partners, friends, and sector colleagues to reflect on our achievements and, more importantly, the work still ahead. Ashley Horsey, CEO of Commonweal, reflected on the anniversary:

"Over the course of Commonweal's first twenty years, we have aimed for the gaps in housing provision, and sought to help those underserved by the housing sector at large. This approach follows from our founding premise – that a developed society cannot, and will not, cure social ails without decent housing provision for those in need, regardless of the availability and quality of other public services."

The last year has continued on the trajectory established over our first two decades: preparing and delivering housing pilots, alongside our dedicated partners, that support at-risk groups across the UK.

The Phoenix Project, in partnership with Servol, launched in West Bromwich, opening its doors to support 12 male ex-offenders with serious mental illness and substance abuse issues.

In December 2025, we published the independent evaluation of You're Home, which demonstrated the positive social and economic impacts of this community-led housing pilot. Commonweal and project partners, East Belfast Mission (EBM), presented the evaluation findings to members of the Communities Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly, who expressed support for replicating the model elsewhere.

This year also saw the planned scale-up of You're Home move forward. EBM successfully secured a £2 million Financial Transactions Capital investment from the Government to deliver 18 additional units to accommodate those recovering from homelessness.

Also in Northern Ireland, Commonweal purchased three multi-bedroom properties for Retreat Housing, delivered by HAPANI (Horn of Africa People’s Aid Northern Ireland). This project provides stable accommodation and integration support to newly granted refugees from the Horn of Africa, many of whom have endured prolonged housing instability.

Additionally, Commonweal successfully secured social investment to acquire seven properties for Depaul Northern Ireland's 'Community Transition Service', a trauma-informed housing initiative for women leaving prison who have complex psychosocial needs. The first tenant moved into their new home this month, with the project set to be fully tenanted later this year.

In the project pipeline, we are collaborating with Advance and Women in Prison to develop two London-based housing pilots testing alternatives to custody for women. Advance seeks to support young women at risk of recall to prison, and Women in Prison aims to support women who are arrested due to forced criminality and domestic abuse, and are facing homelessness.

Since Commonweal's inception, the criminal justice system (CJS) has been a long-standing focus, with our flagship project, Re-Unite, providing mothers leaving prison with safe housing to enable reunification with their children. We are pleased to continue working with specialist organisations to provide housing solutions to support those involved in the CJS.

Alongside project developments, Commonweal has published two important reports exploring issues impacting young people. Commonweal-commissioned research conducted by Public First, entitled Hidden Children, investigates the rapid increase of unregistered children's homes across the UK and recommends solutions to eliminate their use while enhancing specialist provision.

Additionally, Spring Housing’s research, the Commonweal-commissioned The Benefits of Youth, examines the affordability and employment challenges faced by young people in supported housing, drawing on outcomes from a Government pilot based in the West Midlands.

Crucial to Commonweal's mission is providing frontline organisations with the resources to test new housing model ideas, supporting over 20 organisations in developing their creative concepts in recent years.

This year, Commonweal supported partners from the Call for New Ideas: Migration, Asylum and Trafficking cohort who investigated their housing models aimed at supporting vulnerable groups, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The details of these models can also be found in the review.

As we mark our 20th anniversary, the report also highlights Commonweal's work in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector. Between 2017 and 2023, Commonweal collaborated with Solace Women's Aid to deliver two pilots: the Amari project supported women fleeing sexual exploitation, and the Rhea project housed survivors of domestic abuse who found refuge settings unsuitable.

In recent months, we have taken steps to develop a new housing pilot aimed at supporting neurodiverse survivors of domestic abuse, utilising Commonweal-owned properties in London. We look forward to sharing more details on this pilot shortly.

Commonweal’s Chair, Amarjit Bains, summed up Commonweal’s enduring mission:

"For two decades, Commonweal has worked alongside organisations supporting people at the sharpest end of the housing crisis. Whether it is young people leaving care, women fleeing domestic abuse, or individuals transitioning from custody, access to safe, stable housing remains too often inconsistent and difficult to secure. These challenges strengthen our resolve to work in partnership with some of the most committed providers in the country. Together, we are increasingly convinced that housing must remain central to addressing wider socio-economic inequalities."

Elsewhere, this year, Commonweal supported four exceptional University of Birmingham Social Policy students through the Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary. In honour of our 20th anniversary and long-term partnership with the University of Birmingham, Commonweal has established a 2026/27 Master's Bursary. One student will soon be awarded £10,000 for research into an underexplored social and housing issue, aligning with Commonweal's themes.

We hope you enjoy reading about our work. If you have questions or comments, we encourage you to get in touch at info@commonweal.org.uk.