Loneliness: how to spot the signs and support residents in need

What is loneliness?

Loneliness is “a subjective, unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship. It happens when there is a mismatch between the quantity and quality of the social relationships that we have, and those that we want.”

This is the definition of loneliness referenced by both the government in its 2018 social strategy for tackling loneliness, and Sheffield Hallam University in its 2024 Campaign to End Loneliness (originally created by academics Daniel Perlman and Letitia Anne Peplau in the 1980s). 

How big is the loneliness problem?

Loneliness is one of the largest public health challenges in the UK. Those from lower socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to feel lonely due to inequity in access to employment, education, health services and public transport, as well as being less likely “to [be able to] afford activities or opportunities to socialise”, according to Sheffield Hallam’s Campaign to End Loneliness.

Housing is one of the factors (although often part of a range of factors) affecting people’s vulnerability to loneliness. 

The government’s 2023 English Housing Survey found that people living in social housing were disproportionately affected by loneliness. In the research, owner-occupiers reported being less likely to often or always feel lonely (5%) in comparison to renters in the private sector (7%). Meanwhile, those living in the social rented sector were much more likely than both groups to feel lonely often or always (15%).

Who is at particular risk of loneliness?

By using personal characteristics and circumstances that increase or reduce the likelihood of experiencing loneliness, in 2024 the Office for National Statistics (ONS) identified three distinct profiles of people at particular risk of loneliness:

• Widowed homeowners living alone with long-term health conditions
• Unmarried, middle-aged people with long-term health conditions
• Young renters with little trust and sense of belonging to their area

Cost of living as another risk-factor

The cost of living crisis has posed new challenges for housing providers, exacerbating the loneliness issue by further limiting residents’ ability to access projects and opportunities that might offer social connection.

Hardship

• The house is colder than it should be
• There is no food in the kitchen
• There is a lack of furniture in the home
• The resident refers to money challenges

Home 

• There are a number of repairs that have not been carried out
• There are unopened letters
• The resident is clearly hoarding
• There are piles of washing and washing up
• The resident appears uncomfortable about the state of their home

Health 

• The resident has not been able to get themselves dressed
• The resident appears upset or distressed
• Disengagement from conversation
• Overly chatting and references not having seen other people for weeks
• Talks about feeling lonely

What can social landlords do to tackle loneliness?

It may seem like a grim picture, but there is lots of innovation and thinking already going on in the sector to tackle loneliness. 

Below are some examples from the sector of initiatives that have helped social landlords to address the issue. 

Earmarked time for informal chats 

Clarion Housing Group has launched an initiative that gives maintenance staff extra time earmarked for chatting to residents.

Co-designed with a group of Clarion residents, the Wellbeing 10 initiative encourages Clarion Response maintenance staff to spend an extra 10 minutes in a resident’s home to have an ‘informal chat’ if they spot signs of social isolation or loneliness.

A toolkit created by Clarion 55 – the housing association’s national ambassador network for people aged 55 and over – outlines the signs to look for, for example a resident indicating that they haven’t left the house for a long period of time, or signs of poor mental health such as hoarding. 

Residents showing signs of loneliness were referred into Clarion services, and Clarion Response staff reported that it improved their own well-being at work, too. 

Memory-sharing groups 

Housing association SNG has been working with a local partner, Hillside Performing Arts, to deliver a ‘reminiscence programme’ at its dementia care scheme, Beechwood Court in Wembley. 

The weekly sessions centre around getting active and sharing memories. Group games have proved highly popular with residents, and the pilot scheme has already shown positive outcomes – from improving residents’ cognitive function, health, well-being and confidence, to reducing levels of social isolation and loneliness.

The scheme manager at Beechwood Court says: “Customers have been engaged and connected; their participation and enthusiasm has made the workshop an enjoyable experience for all. The memories evoked bring joy and connection and a willingness to share personal experiences. The ability to recall and share has been impressive and heart-warming.”

Connect with loneliness charities 

Places for People, Clarion and SNG have also all worked closely with InCommon, a charity set up to connect groups of young people with their older neighbours to share experiences, celebrate differences and learn from one another. Investing in activities that bring together independent living services and local schools has had a huge impact on creating connected communities and reducing loneliness within these housing associations, according to SNG. 

Collaborate with other organisations

SNG has also been working closely with other housing associations, charities, academics and funders as part of the newly formed South West Impact Alliance. This collective of more than 50 purpose-led organisations, united by the mission of “making loneliness a stranger”, have been pooling funding and sharing research to amplify their collective impact.

Co-design with residents 

Social landlords need to think innovatively to ensure the loneliness crisis doesn’t keep getting worse, and engaging meaningfully with residents is key to this.

SNG recently worked with residents to co-design a workshop and toolkit for all staff, offering tips and techniques for good engagement with customers. The workshop is being co-delivered with residents, who will share personal examples of how engagement can have a positive impact on people’s lives and on wider communities. 

SNG is now looking to create as many touchpoints as possible for residents to engage with the organisation, knowing that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to creating positive dialogue within its communities. 

About Neighbourly Lab 

Neighbourly Lab is a research organisation dedicated to promoting more inclusive communities, which centres its solutions around encouraging the settings and conditions that enable social connection, and therefore mitigate the risk of loneliness. 

The organisation also manages the Tackling Loneliness Hub, an online learning space for organisations to share tools, best practice and new initiatives for combatting loneliness.

The Tackling Loneliness Hub is hosting a free, in-person event in London on 12 June to discuss how social landlords can tackle loneliness. More information and tickets are on Eventbrite here. 

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