IKEA and Shelter announce new partnership, aiming to help over half a million people by 2030

The partnership is launching amid a worsening housing crisis, with over a million households currently on social housing waiting lists and homelessness on the rise. There are over 112,000 homeless households living in temporary accommodation in the UK, with this number likely to increase still as the cost-of-living crisis spirals.

Over the course of the partnership, the two organisations hope to create systemic change to address the housing emergency in the UK, calling on the Government to build 90,000 social homes a year by 2030.

IKEA and Shelter will launch a series of initiatives to help those affected by the housing emergency in IKEA’s local communities and beyond, aiming to increase access to support and opportunities.

From early 2023, IKEA and Shelter will train co-workers to become ‘Life at Home Experts’, and help people in precarious housing situations to understand their rights and keep hold of their homes before they reach crisis point. This is the first time Shelter has trialled the ‘Life at Home Experts’ initiative with any partner, which will see co-workers trained by the charity to understand local and national housing issues and rights.

IKEA will also fund Housing Rights Workers, who will be based in Shelter advice hubs. The initiative aims to reach people who need housing help in their local communities. By working more closely in neighbourhoods and providing early intervention, IKEA and Shelter hope to stop more people from losing their homes.

The launch of the partnership will also see the beginning of a flagship three-year research project following the journeys of families living in social housing. The in-depth findings will be used to inform the most pressing focuses that are needed for the partnership, and to help call on the government to deliver systemic change.

Peter Jelkeby, Country Retail Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA UK & Ireland, says: “At IKEA, we want to create a better everyday life for the many people. This ambition goes beyond just home furnishing: We want to have a positive impact on the world. Our partnership with Shelter will help us do that by providing support to the millions of people across the UK that do not currently have a place to call home.

“We’re in a national housing and cost-of-living crisis that’s hitting families and people suffering homelessness the hardest. That’s why it’s even more important for companies such as ours to take responsibility and contribute positively to the neighbourhoods we’re part of. Together with Shelter, our mission is to ensure that by 2030, half a million of those in need have access to a better life at home.”

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, says: “Rising rents, poor quality homes and spiralling living costs are pushing even more people to the brink of homelessness, making our work at Shelter as critical as ever. Every day we help hundreds of people and families impacted by the housing emergency, but we can’t do it alone.

“Through our new partnership with IKEA we hope to reach even more people with vital housing advice and support at a time when they need it most. By working together our frontline advisers and IKEA’s ‘Life at Home Experts’ will work tirelessly to help as many people as possible to find or keep hold of a safe home, and together we will campaign for lasting change.”

More information about the partnership between IKEA and Shelter can be found at: More information about the partnership between IKEA and Shelter can be found at: IKEA.co.uk/Shelter