Our latest Insight Hub bulletin reveals a sector under severe strain. With 71% of organisations citing housing as the greatest pressure and 77% reporting legal aid gaps, complex needs are rising fast. Safeguarding risks, trauma, hostility, and staff burnout are intensifying — yet we continue to see innovation and resilience.
Our latest Insight Hub Bulletin 29 reveals a sector under unprecedented strain. Housing has become the greatest pressure, with 71% of organisations reporting homelessness, unsuitable accommodation, and repeated relocations as daily challenges that destabilise families and deepen trauma. Legal aid cuts are also biting hard: 77% of respondents say the collapse of provision is leaving people unrepresented in asylum, appeal, and settlement cases.
Safeguarding concerns are intensifying, with 78% of organisations reporting rising risks linked to unsafe housing, suicide, and isolation. Staff are under immense pressure too, with 72% linking local hostility to burnout and secondary trauma, while over half (56%) have had to support clients experiencing harassment or far-right protests near their accommodation.
Yet, amid these pressures, the sector continues to adapt. From triage models and grassroots Ambassador programmes to digital access and new partnerships — 65% of organisations say collaboration has helped relieve demand — frontline groups are showing resilience and innovation. Still, without systemic reform and long-term investment, the sector risks being overwhelmed by the complexity of need.
Click on the link on the right hand side to access the whole bulletin.
