Nearly 60% of Oxford homelessness-prevention cases ended positively during 2025/26, but a new council report shows that more than 500 households still had to be placed in temporary accommodation.
Oxford City Council says it has expanded its supply of council-owned and long-term leased temporary homes, increased Housing First provision and continued work to prevent people losing their homes.
However, the annual review also acknowledges continuing pressure from high rents, a shortage of affordable housing and rising demand for temporary accommodation.
The council’s Cabinet approved the updated action plan for the fourth year of its Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy on Wednesday 16 September.
At a glance
| Reporting period | 2025/26 |
| Homelessness prevention | Nearly 60% of prevention-duty cases ended positively |
| Temporary accommodation | More than 500 households were placed during the year |
| Council temporary-accommodation supply | Approximately 275 owned or long-term leased units, up from about 100 in 2023 |
| New investment | £32 million agreed to acquire or provide additional temporary accommodation |
| Affordable homes completed in 2025/26 | 173 |
| Four-year affordable housing forecast | 1,632 homes, including 1,072 at social rent |
| Housing First | Contracts for 58 places; 45 people housed and 13 receiving pre-tenancy casework at the end of the reporting year |
| Countywide temporary-accommodation caseload | More than 580 households during 2025/26 |
| Oxfordshire strategy status | Recommended by Cabinet but still requiring Full Council approval |
Nearly 60% of prevention cases ended positively
The council says almost six in ten cases involving people threatened with homelessness ended positively during the year.
A homelessness prevention duty normally applies where an eligible household is likely to become homeless within 56 days.
During that period, the council must take reasonable steps to help the household remain in its existing home or secure suitable alternative accommodation before homelessness occurs.
A positive outcome could therefore include preventing an eviction, resolving a tenancy problem or helping the household move into another home without first entering temporary accommodation.
The annual review does not publish the underlying number of prevention-duty cases or provide a complete breakdown of how the positive cases were resolved.
The council says its work during 2025/26 included redesigning commissioned prevention services, preparing for changes affecting the private rented sector and strengthening links with probation and prison services.
Its report identifies private-rented-sector evictions, unaffordable rents, family breakdown, domestic abuse and people leaving institutional accommodation among the continuing causes of homelessness.
More than 500 households entered temporary accommodation
Despite the prevention work, more than 500 households were placed in temporary accommodation during 2025/26.
That is an annual flow figure. It does not mean that more than 500 households were all living in temporary accommodation on the same date.
Temporary accommodation can include self-contained council or leased homes, accommodation provided by partner organisations and, where no suitable alternative is immediately available, hotels or bed and breakfasts.
Oxford City Council has increased the number of homes it owns or controls through long-term leasing to reduce dependence on more expensive and less suitable hotel rooms.
The annual review places the current stock at approximately 275 units, compared with about 100 in 2023.
A more detailed action-plan update recorded 259 units in May 2026:
| Temporary-accommodation source | Units recorded in May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Private-sector leasing | 32 |
| General Fund homes | 46 |
| Housing Revenue Account homes | 136 |
| Properties provided through Response | 45 |
| Total | 259 |
The difference between the May figure and the approximately 275 units quoted in the later annual review reflects the continuing expansion of the programme.
A further £32 million has been agreed in the council’s budget for additional temporary-accommodation stock.
This is an investment commitment rather than a statement that the entire amount has already been spent or that every planned property has been acquired.
Families kept below the six-week B&B limit
The council says no family remained in hotel or bed-and-breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks during the reporting year.
National homelessness guidance says B&B accommodation should be used for households with children or a pregnant household member only as a last resort and for no more than six weeks.
The council’s statement therefore means it remained within that statutory maximum. It does not mean hotels and B&Bs were never used.
The review says increasing the supply of self-contained temporary homes should improve privacy and access to kitchens, washing facilities and support while also reducing council expenditure.
However, it identifies escalating homelessness demand as an ongoing financial risk. The authority remains exposed if applications rise faster than predicted or planned accommodation is delayed.
Understanding the temporary-accommodation figures
More than 500 households refers to households placed into temporary accommodation at some point during 2025/26.
Approximately 275 units refers to the stock of accommodation the council currently owns or controls through longer-term arrangements.
The two figures measure different things and should not be treated as a current occupancy total.
Housing First contracts cover 58 places
Oxford has continued expanding Housing First, which provides a settled home alongside intensive and flexible support.
The approach differs from systems where people must first move through emergency and supported accommodation before being considered ready for a permanent tenancy.
Under Housing First, the stable home is the starting point. Support can then address health, substance use, trauma, finances and other needs without making continued accommodation conditional on completing a prescribed treatment pathway.
The council says contracts are in place to deliver 58 Housing First tenancies across Oxford.
That contracted capacity should not be read as 58 occupied tenancies at the end of 2025/26.
The detailed action plan recorded:
- 45 people accommodated with Housing First support at the end of the reporting period
- 13 further people being case-worked by support services before moving into a suitable property
- 53 people housed at some point since the programme began in 2022
The total housed since 2022 is larger than the number in accommodation at year-end because some tenancies will have ended or moved on during the programme.
More people moved into social and private rented homes
The council’s action plan also reports progress in helping households leave temporary or supported accommodation.
During 2025/26, there were 157 social-housing lets to households on the council’s Homeless List.
A further 137 tenancies were created through private-rented-sector access schemes. Of those, 42 were accepted by households who had been living in temporary accommodation.
The council has introduced a Move On List within the Oxford Register for Affordable Housing to improve the route from homelessness services into settled accommodation.
However, the annual review says the steep rise in temporary-accommodation use means move-on arrangements must remain under review.
A shortage of suitable and affordable homes can also leave people in supported accommodation after they no longer require that level of service, preventing the space being used by someone else in need.
Housing forecast exceeds target, but only 173 homes completed in the year
Oxford’s affordable housing programme is forecast to provide 1,632 homes over its current four-year period, exceeding the strategy target of 1,600.
Of those, 1,072 are forecast to be homes at social rent, compared with a target of 850.
These are programme forecasts rather than completed-home totals.
During 2025/26, 173 affordable homes were actually completed:
| Tenure or use | Homes completed in 2025/26 |
|---|---|
| Social rent | 87 |
| Affordable rent | 8 |
| Shared ownership | 74 |
| Temporary accommodation | 4 |
| Total | 173 |
The council acknowledges that some schemes slipped during the financial year, although it expects a significant increase in completed handovers during 2026/27.
Members of the council’s housing scrutiny group questioned the changing size of the social-housing waiting list, the balance between shared ownership and social-rent homes and delays affecting recent schemes.
An Oxford City Council evidence paper recorded just under 4,000 residents on the housing register in January 2026 and estimated that only around 12% would be housed within a year.
Councillor Mike Rowley, Cabinet Member for Regulation of the Private Rented Sector and Preventing Homelessness, said the number of people needing social housing had since passed 4,000.
“The provision of housing continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing us in Oxford, with over 500 households placed into temporary accommodation in 2025/26 and over 4,000 people in need of social housing.
“However, this report highlights the real progress we are making to prevent homelessness, provide better accommodation and help people move towards settled homes.”
Rough sleeping remains ‘stubbornly high’
The city report says Oxford has not experienced the same recent increase in rough sleeping seen by some other urban authorities in south-east England.
However, it describes the number of people sleeping on the streets as stubbornly high and says further work is needed.
The report does not provide a new Oxford-only single-night count for 2025/26.
The proposed countywide strategy says that between 2021 and 2025 the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night anywhere in Oxfordshire fluctuated between 19 and 86.
The number identified over the course of a month was frequently above 100, with Oxford city continuing to account for the largest proportion.
These measures are different. A single-night estimate records people seen or believed to be sleeping rough on one particular night, while monthly outreach data can include different people encountered on different dates.
Neither method captures every form of homelessness, including sofa surfing, overcrowding or other insecure living arrangements.
Countywide temporary-accommodation caseload has nearly quadrupled
The proposed Oxfordshire Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy presents a wider picture of rising demand.
Across the county, the temporary-accommodation caseload increased from about 150 households in early 2021/22 to more than 580 during 2025/26.
The number of single people needing temporary accommodation rose from around 90 to more than 250 during the same period.
The strategy links this pressure to high private rents, evictions, family breakdown, domestic abuse, people leaving Home Office accommodation and a shortage of social and affordable private homes.
It also says hotel placements can leave people without suitable cooking facilities, privacy or consistent access to support and can add millions of pounds to local-authority costs.
Four priorities in the new Oxfordshire strategy
The refreshed countywide strategy has been developed by Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, the four district councils and Thames Valley Integrated Care Board.
Oxford City Council’s Cabinet agreed on 16 September to recommend that Full Council approve it.
It should therefore be described as a proposed or recommended strategy until the Full Council process is complete.
| Priority | What it means |
|---|---|
| Prevention First | Identify risks earlier, prevent evictions and intervene before someone loses their home or begins sleeping rough |
| Housing-Led Approach | Increase access to settled homes, speed up moves from temporary and supported accommodation and expand Housing First and private-rented options |
| Person-Centred Approach | Use trauma-informed and strengths-based support shaped around individual needs, circumstances and aspirations |
| Strong Partnerships and System Change | Improve joint work between housing, health, social care, criminal justice and voluntary organisations |
The strategy runs for two years rather than five because major changes to Oxfordshire’s local-government structure are expected in April 2028.
The present councils cannot commit the authorities that will replace them to a longer programme, so the document is intended to maintain countywide direction during the transition.
Consultation received 136 responses
The county partnership consulted between March and June 2026.
It received 136 responses, including 24 from people with direct experience of homelessness.
The report says:
- more than 90% supported stronger early intervention and prevention;
- 79% supported a greater emphasis on housing-led services; and
- 93% agreed that housing, health and social-care services should work together more closely.
Measures used to involve people with lived experience included paper questionnaires, supported in-person sessions and work with the Lived Experience Advisory Forum.
The strategy commits the partnership to increasing co-production, meaning people who have experienced homelessness should help design, deliver and evaluate services rather than being consulted only after decisions have been made.
What happens next?
Oxford City Council’s approved Year 4 action plan includes further expansion of temporary-accommodation stock and work intended to strengthen early intervention.
Plans for 2026/27 include:
- creating a new face-to-face homelessness service centre;
- upgrading IT systems used by homelessness teams;
- investing in a new move-on service;
- implementing changes under the Renters’ Rights legislation;
- transforming countywide outreach services; and
- directing more commissioned funding towards prevention and housing-led support.
The new Oxfordshire strategy will need Full Council approval before it becomes the city council’s adopted countywide policy.
Its countywide steering group would then oversee an action plan, performance measures and joint activity across the participating councils and health and voluntary-sector organisations.
How to get homelessness help in Oxford
Help if you may lose your home
Seek advice as early as possible. You do not need to wait until an eviction or the day you have nowhere to stay.
Oxford City Council customer services: 01865 249811, 8am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.
Housing Needs Team: housingneeds@oxford.gov.uk.
Face-to-face customer service: Oxford Westgate Library, second floor, 228 The Westgate, Queen Street, Oxford, OX1 1PE. Open from 10am to 3pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Read the council’s homelessness advice.
Out-of-hours homelessness emergency
Call 0800 833408.
Concern about someone sleeping rough
Contact the Oxford Street Population Outreach Team on 07590 862049 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, or email Outreach.Oxford@mungos.org.
A concern can also be reported through StreetLink.
Outreach services are not emergency services. Call 999 where someone’s health or safety is in immediate danger.
Frequently asked questions
What does a positive homelessness-prevention outcome mean?
It normally means the household avoided becoming homeless or secured alternative accommodation during the prevention-duty period. The Oxford report does not publish a detailed breakdown of every positive outcome.
Were more than 500 households living in temporary accommodation at the same time?
Not necessarily. The figure refers to households placed into temporary accommodation at some point during 2025/26. It is not a single-date occupancy count.
How much temporary accommodation does Oxford City Council have?
The latest annual review gives an approximate total of 275 owned or long-term leased units. A detailed May 2026 return recorded 259.
Does the council still use hotels and B&Bs?
The report does not say their use has ended completely. It says no family remained in hotel or B&B accommodation for longer than six weeks during the year.
What is Housing First?
Housing First provides a settled home without requiring someone first to progress through hostel or supported-accommodation stages. Intensive, flexible support is then provided around the tenancy.
Are all 58 Housing First tenancies occupied?
The report says contracts are in place to deliver 58. At the end of 2025/26, 45 people were accommodated and a further 13 were receiving casework while awaiting suitable properties.
Has Oxford delivered 1,632 affordable homes?
No. The figure is the forecast for the current four-year programme. A total of 173 affordable homes were completed during 2025/26.
How many people are waiting for social housing?
A council evidence paper recorded just under 4,000 residents on the register in January 2026. Councillor Mike Rowley said in September that more than 4,000 people now needed social housing.
Has the new Oxfordshire strategy been approved?
Oxford City Council’s Cabinet has agreed to recommend it to Full Council. It should not yet be described as fully adopted by the city council.
Where can someone seek help?
Contact Oxford City Council on 01865 249811 or email housingneeds@oxford.gov.uk as early as possible. The out-of-hours homelessness emergency number is 0800 833408.
