Frontier Economics

Year of publication: 2014

Literature review and framework for assessing the economic impact of public capital investment in new affordable housing. The review finds that affordable housing supports multiple social objectives and individual outcomes. These include improved self-rated health, prevention of crime, improved labour market outcomes, higher life satisfaction, with good housing creating conditions for better educational outcomes and community cohesion.

Many outcomes are contingent on the higher quality of new affordable homes relative to existing private rental. They also iterated that affordable housing providers make public investment go further, through delivering social benefits such as ongoing community support or back-to-work training programmes.

Frontier Economics’ analysis of CORE (continuous recording of lettings and sales in social housing in England) data showed that households move into affordable housing because they are homeless, living in overcrowded housing or have problems with their health. Providing housing solutions to such issues saves the public purse.

Content type: Economy

Tags: Report

View external report

This will open in a new tab