Many find themselves caught between systems - needing more support than some accommodation can offer but not meeting the criteria for others. People can find themselves moving between hostels, hospitals and short-term housing, never quite finding stability. The impact is felt most by the individuals themselves, through poor health, insecurity and stigma, and by the services doing their best to support them.
At Alcohol Change UK, we’re working with local partners to find realistic, evidence-based ways to change this.
Our Blue Light Approach supports people who are often described as ‘hard to reach’ or ‘not ready to change’. It challenges those assumptions and shows that, with the right support, people can and do make progress.
Now we’re taking that learning further - into housing.
We worked with 29 local authorities, national experts and people with lived experience to develop two new reports. Together they explore how to improve accommodation for people with alcohol dependency and complex needs, and offer practical tools for local areas to act on.
- The Blue Light Approach: Improving accommodation options for people with alcohol dependency and complex needs. Part One: Main report and information guides. This report is aimed at commissioners, housing leads and service managers. It provides a clear framework for change and an Improvement Plan Audit Tool to help partnerships understand local need, identify gaps, and plan a more effective housing system.
- The Blue Light Approach: Improving accommodation options for people with alcohol dependency and complex needs. Part Two: The law, benefits, and national guidance. This companion guide is written for frontline practitioners. It explains how housing law and the welfare benefits system can support people who are alcohol dependent to access and keep accommodation. It includes practical case studies and guidance on challenging unfair decisions.
Together, these publications set out the strategy and the practical steps needed to improve outcomes.
There are around 650,000 dependent drinkers in England and Wales. Around 70,000 of them are homeless or at immediate risk of homelessness.
This is a relatively small group, but the complexity of their needs means they often fall between services. Despite their visibility in crisis, they are invisible in planning. Many accommodation services still expect abstinence or controlled drinking, leaving few options for people who are alcohol dependent.
Without stable housing, recovery and harm reduction are extremely difficult. Without the right support, even suitable housing can fail. The result is a cycle of crisis that serves no one well.
Provision is patchy. Managed Alcohol Programmes (MAPs), alcohol-tolerant housing and care homes that can manage alcohol use safely are extremely limited in the UK.
Stigma blocks access. Past behaviour, assumptions about ‘choice’ and rigid service rules too often prevent people from being offered accommodation.
Prevention is possible. Early help can stop evictions and abandonments. Skilled staff, flexible approaches and psychologically informed environments make a clear difference.
Investment works. Supportive housing reduces A&E use, arrests and hospital stays. Evidence from the UK and internationally shows that doing the right thing saves resources as well as lives.
A central message from this work is that accommodation is a journey, not a place.
People’s needs change over time, so a single housing model will not work for everyone. Local areas need a system that supports people at each stage - before, during and after accommodation. That means having:
- Housing First models
- Managed Alcohol Programmes
- Specialist care homes for people with alcohol-related brain damage
- Women-only and domestic abuse refuges that accept people who drink
- Skilled, supported staff who can work confidently with this group
The reports set out practical steps to build this kind of system - from gathering local data and mapping provision to creating joint strategies and planning future investment.
For frontline workers, navigating housing and welfare systems is complex.
Our law and benefits guide explains how the law can protect people who are vulnerable due to alcohol use, mental health issues or trauma. It covers priority need, intentional homelessness, domestic abuse, hospital discharge and key benefits such as Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment.
It uses case studies to show how the law and benefits system work in practice, helping workers navigate their complexities and advocate effectively for the people they support.
Stigma remains one of the main barriers to effective support. People who are alcohol dependent are still too often seen as the problem, rather than as people living with health and social challenges that make self-management difficult.
Real change comes from better understanding and more realistic expectations of what people can manage. It means recognising that trauma, cognitive damage and mental ill-health can affect every part of a person’s life, including their ability to maintain housing.
Better understanding leads to better decisions - from commissioning through to day-to-day frontline work. Services that meet people where they are can prevent crisis and support genuine progress.
Meeting the housing needs of people with alcohol dependency and complex needs will take partnership across housing, health and social care. It will take commitment, collaboration and time - but the path forward is clear.
Local partnerships can:
- Use the Improvement Plan Audit Tool to map local need.
- Bring housing, health and care leads together.
- Develop evidence-based strategies that reflect real challenges.
- Invest in staff training and ongoing support.
- Confront stigma openly and consistently.
By working together, we can build housing systems that work better - for people who are alcohol dependent and for the services that support them.
