THE cramped living conditions of a mother of three who was evicted from her home have been revealed by IKEA in their Warrington store in a project with its national charity partner, Shelter.
Channah lived in a cramped emergency B&B in the North West with her three daughters. She was served an eviction notice in December 2021, and in May 2022 was moved into a B&B with her three children, then 10, 14 and 15. The B&B was a small room with a bunk bed, and had a kitchenette right next to the bed, leaving minimal space for the family. As a result, when studying for her GCSEs, her daughter often had to revise on the bathroom floor.
Aside from space, the conditions were also completely unacceptable. Channah says, “We once came home to notice that our bags had been rearranged, searched, and gone through. My children couldn’t find the tablet they use for their homework, the floor was damp and paint was all over our belongings. I felt violated at the invasion of our privacy. However, upon ringing the council, I was told that I had signed a licence agreement which meant they could access the room without notice and at any time. All I wanted was to have a space to call home where my children could study and achieve what they can. Our situation is greatly impacting their education and I feel powerless.”
According to the research, one in five (21%) adults in the UK are worried about losing their home, with half (49%) saying if they lost their current home, they would struggle to find somewhere else to live. In the past year in order to keep up with their housing costs, 18% of adults in the UK say they have taken on additional work, 17% have skipped meals and a further quarter (25%) would consider it.
One in every 208 people in England is currently experiencing homelessness, with thousands more likely to lose their homes by the end of the year as a result of the cost of living crisis. Together, IKEA and Shelter have created ‘Real Life Roomsets’ to raise awareness of this issue and highlight the real living conditions of those who are forced into temporary accommodation as a result.
The roomsets, which are a stark contrast to those found in IKEA’s famously inspiring and well-designed showrooms, are based on real stories of people local to the stores involved. Each roomset highlights the cramped, dangerous, and grotty spaces that an increasing number of people who are experiencing homelessness are forced to experience when living in temporary accommodation.
Temporary accommodation (which can take the form of emergency hostels, B&Bs, one room bedsits and cramped flats) is provided by councils to qualifying families who are experiencing homelessness and is designed to be just that: temporary. However, with a shortage in social housing, some families are finding themselves living in temporary accommodation for years, and are very often asked to move several times with short notice3.
‘Real Life Roomsets’ comes as part of IKEA and Shelter’s campaign demanding for 90,000 social homes to be built a year by 2030 to help address the housing emergency, which 59% of adults in the UK believe is worse than ever.
IKEA is also joining Shelter’s campaign to amend the Levelling up and Regeneration Bill with a new Infrastructure Levy, to ensure all new truly affordable homes are social housing.
The four roomsets are located in IKEA stores near cities experiencing some of the worst levels of homelessness in the country:
London: where 1 in 58 people are experiencing homelessness
Manchester: where 1 in 74 people are experiencing homelessness
Birmingham: where 1 in 80 people are experiencing homelessness
Bristol: where 1 in 183 people are experiencing homelessness
Peter Jelkeby, Country Retail Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA UK & Ireland, says: “The focus on building ‘affordable’ homes rather than social housing is a distraction from finding a real solution to the housing emergency, which currently relies on the unsuitable provision of temporary accommodation where families are being forced to live in uninhabitable and unacceptable conditions.
“At IKEA, we believe that everyone deserves a place to call home, which is why we’re so proud to partner with Shelter in demanding for long-term change, whilst also helping those directly affected by the housing emergency in our local communities.”
Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, said: “A grotty hostel or B&B is not a home, but this is the reality for too many families stuck in temporary accommodation. That’s why we’re working with IKEA to show the grim living situations that families who become homeless are having to face – from having no space for children to do homework or play, to having to share beds, to being moved miles away from schools and support networks.
“With rents at an all-time high and no end to the cost of living crisis in sight, we’re desperately worried that more people are going to become homeless this year. The solution to this crisis is simple and it’s staring the government in the face: we must build a new generation of good quality social housing that people can actually afford to live in.”
‘Real Life Roomsets’ is part of IKEA and Shelter’s long-term partnership, which will see the launch of a series of initiatives to help those affected by the housing emergency in local communities and beyond – aiming to increase access to support and opportunities.
To read more about ‘Real Life Roomsets’ – including IKEA and Shelter’s downloadable campaign toolkit that provides an overview of how to join the campaign to build 90,000 social homes a year by 2030 – and their long-term partnership, visit www.IKEA.co.uk/Shelter
