Remembering Cathy Come Home

Few who watched it then or have seen it since were not profoundly moved by the story of Cathy and Reg and their young family. Not through any fault of their own, but by a combination of misfortune, ill luck and official indifference, they tumble inexorably down the housing ladder into a homeless state.

In the final scenes, Cathy wanders the streets at night before seeking shelter in a railway station. There, the children are taken from her by social services. Her anguish and distress, superbly portrayed by Carol White, remains one of the most powerful dramatic moments ever shown on British TV. 

At the time, Cathy Come Home had a real and positive effect on public awareness. Charity Shelter, launched by coincidence a few days after the broadcast, enjoyed a huge boost in support. Charity Crisis, founded in 1967, was directly inspired by it. 

“Six decades on, the themes running through the play are still shamefully relevant to the UK”

More recently, around the 50th anniversary of the play, Homes for Cathy formed in 2016. The coalition of charities and not-for-profit housing associations tackling homelessness acknowledges by its very name the lasting impact of this landmark broadcast.

Now, six decades on, the themes running through the play are still shamefully relevant to the UK. The shortage of social housing, high private rents, child poverty, overcrowding, unsuitable temporary accommodation, prejudice, stigma and unsympathetic authorities persist.

If anything, up to the recent government Spending Review and long-term plan for housing, things got worse, not better.

That we have almost returned to the point where we were 60 years ago is a national disgrace. We all know the root causes of our housing crisis: from not replacing homes sold under the Right to Buy, through to a lack of support for social housing over decades.

Then there are the consequences of Grenfell and other scandals, the financial and operational costs of which have brought new builds grinding to a halt.

But now there is a golden opportunity to reverse the decline and reinvigorate the sector. Combined, the £39bn in funding, the 10-year rent settlement, rent convergence (albeit it should be implemented gradually) and access to the Building Safety Fund have changed the landscape fundamentally.

“By working with for-profit providers and private equity funds there may be opportunities to recycle or otherwise release capital”

Housing association chief executives are speaking out with confidence and enthusiasm unthinkable earlier in the year, but we are approaching 2026, not 1966. The crushing, devastating impact of homelessness and poverty is the same, but the solutions need to be different.

Looking ahead to 2026, thousands of young mothers will be trying to bring up children in hotel rooms somewhere. No privacy, nowhere to play, nowhere to learn. This is an emergency, and we need to think outside the box to get building quickly.

So, I’m urging housing association chief executives to do more with the private sector, including the for-profit registered providers that will be crucial in delivering what’s needed. By working with for-profit providers and private equity funds there may be opportunities to recycle or otherwise release capital that will greatly assist the large charitable associations and help them to fulfil their social mission.

Now that the foundations to build back some capacity in the sector are in place, we need providers to seize new opportunities for new partnerships.

It’s time to bring Cathy home, whatever it takes.

Carl Shillito, member, G15 Residents’ Group