Data Catalogue Information Packs

Definition: How do we define housing/homelessness?

Homelessness is defined by the Housing Act (1996) as “someone is homeless if they have no accommodation available to them, along with their household which:

• They have a legal right to occupy, such as by ownership, tenancy agreement, or other permission to reside there
• They can access
• Would be reasonable for them to continue occupying, such as being affordable and being fit for human habitation”

An individual can be threatened with homelessness if they are likely to become homeless within 56-days (such as end of tenancy agreement, or landlord selling the property).

Key contact within Coventry City Council

If you are wanting to know more information about homelessness, have any specific questions about the accessible data, or are keen to research homelessness, please contact:

Sophie Hall, E: Sophie.Hall@coventry.gov.uk

Why is housing a wider determinant of health?

Housing is a wider determinant of health because it directly and indirectly influences physical, mental, and social well-being through complex interactions of its quality, affordability, stability, and neighbourhood context. The conditions in which people live, work, and age significantly shape health outcomes and health inequalities across the lifespan.

Physical health impacts

Poor quality housing conditions can directly cause or exacerbate physical health problems due to:

• Damp and mould – exposure to dampness and mould is strongly associated with respiratory conditions, asthma, and other infections, particularly in children.
• Cold homes (fuel poverty) – inadequate heating and insulation can lead to excess winter deaths and exacerbate cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, hypothermia and musculoskeletal conditions.
• Safety hazards – structural defects, a lack of safety devices (smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms), and poor design can increase the risk of accidents, injuries and fires.
• Overcrowding – inadequate living space increases the risk of infectious disease transmission and can affect physical development in children.

Mental and Psychosocial impacts

Housing conditions profoundly can affect mental health and overall wellbeing such as:

• Stress and anxiety – high housing costs (affordability issues) and the threat of eviction or homelessness create significant financial stress and anxiety.
• Security and control – a secure and stable home provides a sense of control and a “secure base” essential for mental well-being and a positive social identity. Housing insecurity, common in the private rental sector, can lead to frequent moves that undermine engagement with local services and support networks.
• Overcrowding and lack of privacy – living in non-decent or overcrowded housing is associated with increased stress, depression, and behavioural problems, particularly among children.

Wider social and economic impacts

Housing connects to broader social and economic determinants of health such as:

• Affordability – when a high proportion of income is spent on housing, less money is available for other health-promoting necessities like quality food, proper clothing, and recreation which can worsen health outcomes.
• Neighbourhood context – the surrounding neighbourhood environment impacts health through factors such as access to green spaces, air quality, community safety and proximity to services like healthcare and transportation.
• Health inequalities – poor housing conditions disproportionately affect low-income households, minority groups, and younger people, thereby entrenching existing health inequalities.

Key literature signposting

Gibson et al. (2011). Housing and health inequalities: A synthesis of systematic reviews of interventions aimed at different pathways linking housing and health.

House of Commons Library (2022). The link between housing and health.

House of Commons Library (2023). Health inequalities: Cold or damp homes.

National Library of Medicine (2009). The connection between health and homes.

Rolfe et al. (2020). Housing as a social determinant of health and wellbeing: Developing an empirically-informed realist theoretical framework.

Rana (2025). Sustainable housing as a social determinant of health and wellbeing.

The Health Foundation (2020). Better housing is crucial for our health and the COVID-19 recovery.

The Health Foundation (2024). Relationship between living in overcrowded homes and mental health.

Publicly accessible data on housing/homelessness

1. LG Inform https://lginform.local.gov.uk/

LG Inform (Local Government Inform), is an accessible platform which is funded by the UK government. The LG Inform platform was introduced as a practical solution to ensure that local governments and organisations could access data which will help influence decision making and policy, with the addition of being a free platform which members of the public can also use.

LG Inform has a range of publicly accessible data on housing. There are 2557 reports and/or datasets for individuals to access, which can be presented in a report, or access to the raw data is also accessible for individuals. Reports are themed into:

• Council and community housing (517 Reports)
• Homelessness and prevention (1583 reports)
• Improvements and repairs (81 reports)
• Multiple occupancy homes (12 reports)

For each specific data set, individuals can click on either ‘view report’ or ‘view data’ which provides specific data for specific locations (such as Coventry), providing direct comparison to other local authority locations or cities within the UK. Data can be presented as either a table, graph, or interactive map.

For individuals who are wanting to use housing/homelessness data for specific research, data available on LG Inform can be downloaded into an excel spreadsheet for each specific report. This will allow for data to be extracted more easily for research, comparison of statistics of differences over time with a comparison by year option also available.

1a) LG Inform Plus - https://home.esd.org.uk/

Please note: LG Inform Plus requires a licence and is therefore only accessible for Coventry City Council Colleagues via registering for an account.

LG Inform Plus provides the same foundation content as LG Inform but allows for individuals to look at data through specific wards and transform data into charts, maps, and tables. For example, for housing and homelessness, data can be created into a detailed themed report, which is modifiable by:

• Data metric
• Date period
• Location
• Comparison group

The data is presented by tables, graphs, and interactive maps to allow individuals to get a clear insight into specific metrics surrounding housing/homelessness in Coventry.

2. Coventry City Council - Coventry Homelessness Review

Coventry City Council has a range of information and data surrounding housing and homelessness. The website includes a range of information including a review, data, and underlying reasons as to why homelessness occurs in Coventry.

Coventry data available on the Coventry City Council on this platform relating to housing/homelessness includes:

• Housing affordability
• Availability of affordable housing in Coventry

Housing affordability data is presented as either graphs or tables, with data being presented by year – allowing for direct comparison and trend analysis of housing affordability over the years. Each graph also includes a clear description for individuals to assist with interpretation, along with a comment of how Coventry’s statistics are in comparison to either England or the West Midlands.

Housing affordability data is also split into size of property to allow for comparison between one-bedroom to multiple bedroom home availability over the years in specific relation to the Local Housing Allowance rates (rent).

3. Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics

The Government has a Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities which provides a range of statistics surrounding housing/homelessness for local authorities and cities across the UK – with the latest data being published in 2024.

Data on this platform includes a ‘Detailed Local Authority Level Tables’ dataset. Once clicked on, this opens an excel file with a range of tabs for individuals to explore with data. The first tab ‘LA-dropdown’ permits for individuals to choose their specific location of interest (such as Coventry), with all other local authority areas included in the dropdown option – allowing for direct location comparison.

Other tabs within the excel spreadsheet are slightly less interactive but presents data in a table form on a range of different topics by local authority area. Topics presented include:

• Number of households by initial assessment of homelessness circumstances and needs
• Number of households owed a prevention duty by reason for loss, or threat of loss, of last settled home
• Number of households owed relief duty by reason for loss, or threat of loss, of last settled home.
• Ethnicity of main applicants assessed as owed a prevention or relief duty by local authority.
• Employment status of main applicants assessed as owed prevention or relief duty by local authority.

Many more topics are presented on the excel spreadsheet, allowing individuals to gain an in-depth understanding of housing/homelessness for a specific location, and for direct comparison of local authority areas. The overall department website also includes the in-depth data going back to 2010, also allowing for time comparison.

Additional Information

Please note: Coventry City Council also holds in-depth data on housing/homelessness. However, due to the sensitivity and confidentiality of this data, data can only be accessed by Coventry City Council colleagues if they use the Coventry City Council’s Data Protection Impact Assessment Process.