Key Points
- Just over one-fifth of Welsh housing professionals surveyed say pressures are having a “major impact” on their mental health and well-being.
- The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Cymru’s latest snapshot survey links high workloads, lack of funding and recruitment difficulties to growing strain on staff.
- Of 86 respondents, around three-quarters report some level of negative impact on their mental health, with 21% citing a major impact – three times the proportion reporting the same in 2025.
- Increasing funding remains the top priority for the Welsh government for the third consecutive year, with 34% of respondents ranking it first.
- A rising proportion of professionals (28%) now say the Welsh government’s top priority should be to “listen to the sector”, up from 21% in previous years.
- CIH Cymru warns that policy and legislative changes are often experienced as “top-down” rather than collaborative, exacerbating stress on an already stretched workforce.
- Respondents highlight how new legislation, even when well-intentioned, increases obligations and pressure on staff who feel “spread thinly” and under mounting statutory compliance demands.
- Two-thirds of respondents say they work in housing to make a difference to communities and residents, citing social purpose, tackling homelessness and developing homes as key motivations.
- Housing support emerges as the main housing priority for 25% of respondents, overtaking increased housing supply (21%), which had previously been the top concern.
- CIH Cymru suggests the shift reflects rising homelessness and growing housing support needs, alongside proposed changes in the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocations (Wales) Bill.
- CIH Cymru national director Matt Dicks welcomes professionals’ commitment to helping people but warns that worsening mental health trends are “concerning”.
- In its 2026 manifesto, A plan for housing in Wales, CIH Cymru calls on the next Welsh government to commit to a “professional and resilient” housing workforce.
- CIH Cymru argues housing should be treated as a key pillar of public service delivery in Wales, alongside other core professions.
- The body urges the development of a national workforce strategy for housing professionals focused on supporting communities and delivering an equitable housing system.
- CIH Cymru reiterates that everyone in Wales should have a legislative right to a safe, suitable and affordable home, underpinned by a stable and supported workforce.
Cardiff (The Wales Times) February 20, 2026 – A new snapshot survey by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Cymru has found that sustained pressures from workloads, funding constraints and recruitment difficulties are having a “major impact” on the mental health and well-being of a significant share of Welsh housing professionals, with the proportion reporting severe strain tripling in a year.
How severely are Welsh housing professionals’ mental health being affected?
The CIH Cymru survey, which captured responses from 86 housing professionals across Wales, indicates that mental health concerns are widespread rather than isolated. Just over one-fifth of respondents – 21% – said the pressures they face are having a “major impact” on their mental health and well-being, three times the proportion who reported the same level of impact in the 2025 iteration of the survey.
In addition to those reporting a major effect, around three-quarters of all respondents said they had experienced some level of negative impact on their mental health linked to work-related pressures. This suggests that only a small minority of professionals feel unaffected by the current environment, underscoring how systemic the strain has become across the housing workforce in Wales.
CIH Cymru has described the findings as a warning sign for both individuals and the wider sector. The organisation said the survey
“highlights the negative impact this is having on individuals and the wider housing workforce in Wales”,
stressing that the cumulative effect of workload, funding and workforce challenges is eroding well-being and resilience among staff.
What pressures are driving stress among housing professionals in Wales?
Respondents pointed to a combination of increasing workload, insufficient funding and difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff as key drivers of stress. These overlapping pressures mean that remaining staff are frequently asked to do more with less, often in services that are already operating at or beyond capacity to meet growing demand from communities.
One respondent, quoted by CIH Cymru, described how the legislative and regulatory environment is adding to the strain on front-line workers. The respondent said:
“More and more legislation, even for good reason, creates more and more obligations and stress on existing staff who are already spread thinly and struggling to keep up with existing workloads and the need to satisfy all the other statutory compliance expectations.”
CIH Cymru has drawn attention to the way policy and legislative changes are often experienced by practitioners on the ground. The body said respondents wanted government to listen more,
“especially when it comes to policy or legislative changes which feel like a top-down approach rather than a collaboration”,
suggesting that the process of change can itself become a source of additional pressure.
Why are funding and government engagement key concerns?
For the third year running, increasing funding has emerged as the top priority that housing professionals want the Welsh government to address. In the latest survey, 34% of respondents identified more funding as the number one priority, reflecting continued concerns that services and staff are being stretched without the resources needed to manage demand and deliver effectively.
Alongside this, the survey shows a notable rise in calls for the Welsh government to “listen to the sector”. This year, 28% of respondents selected this as their top priority, compared with 21% in both 2024 and 2025. The growth suggests a deepening desire among professionals for meaningful engagement and co-production in policy and legislative development, rather than changes being handed down without adequate consultation.
CIH Cymru said the survey underlines a perception that some recent policy and legislative initiatives have felt imposed rather than developed in partnership. The organisation reported that respondents want the government to engage more closely with those delivering housing services, so that new requirements are realistic, resourced and aligned with the operational realities of the sector.
How do professionals view the impact of legislation and compliance demands?
The survey responses highlight a tension between the intent behind legislation and its practical impact on those tasked with implementation. The respondent who warned that “more and more legislation” increases obligations and stress encapsulates a broader concern that each new requirement adds to a cumulative burden on staff who already struggle to keep pace.
Housing professionals reported feeling “spread thinly” as they try to manage existing caseloads, meet statutory compliance expectations and respond to evolving policy frameworks. The growing complexity of regulatory and reporting obligations can require significant administrative time and expertise, diverting resources from direct work with residents and communities.
CIH Cymru has linked this experience directly to the mental health findings in the survey. It argues that without additional capacity, support and funding, well-intentioned policy changes risk exacerbating stress and undermining the well-being of the workforce that is central to delivering those very reforms.
What motivates Welsh housing professionals to stay in the sector?
Despite the mounting pressures, the survey suggests that social purpose remains a strong motivating factor for many housing professionals in Wales. Two-thirds of respondents said they work in the housing sector to make a difference and provide support to their communities and residents, indicating a deep commitment to public service and social value.
Others cited specific motivations such as tackling homelessness, contributing to the development of new homes, and working in roles that carry a clear social impact. These motivations align closely with the mission-driven nature of housing work, which often involves supporting vulnerable individuals and families facing acute housing need.
CIH Cymru national director Matt Dicks highlighted this sense of purpose as both encouraging and crucial to retaining and attracting staff. He said:
“It is encouraging to see that the majority of respondents to our survey are motivated to work in housing as they want to help people, make a difference and have a positive impact.”
At the same time, he warned that this commitment cannot be taken for granted in the face of deteriorating mental health trends.
How are housing priorities shifting among respondents?
The survey suggests a notable shift in perceived housing priorities among Welsh professionals. Housing support emerged as the leading priority for 25% of respondents, overtaking increasing the supply of homes, which 21% identified as their main concern. In previous years, boosting housing supply had consistently been the top priority.
CIH Cymru interpreted this change as a reflection of the immediate pressures currently facing the sector. The organisation said:
“This is a change to previous years where an increased supply of homes was consistently the top priority for respondents. It is likely that this is reflective of the increased levels of homelessness and housing support needs being seen by our members coupled with changes proposed to support provision in the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocations (Wales) Bill.”
In this context, while the long-term need for more homes remains widely recognised, respondents appear increasingly focused on the acute and rising demand for housing support services. This includes helping people to sustain tenancies, preventing homelessness and providing targeted support to those at risk.
What is CIH Cymru calling for in its 2026 manifesto?
In response to the survey findings, CIH Cymru is using its 2026 manifesto, A plan for housing in Wales, to press the next Welsh government to commit to strengthening and safeguarding the housing workforce. National director Matt Dicks set out the organisation’s key ask, saying:
“This is why one of our key asks in our 2026 manifesto, A plan for housing in wales is for the next Welsh government to commit to a professional and resilient workforce in Wales.”
Mr Dicks argued that housing should be viewed alongside other core professions as fundamental to the delivery of public services.
“Housing, in line with other key professions, should be seen as a key pillar to the delivery of public services in Wales,”
he said, emphasising that the sector’s contribution to health, well-being and community stability is often under-recognised.
As part of this, CIH Cymru is calling for a dedicated workforce strategy for housing professionals in Wales. The organisation says such a strategy must focus on supporting the communities served by housing staff and on ensuring an equitable housing system in which everyone has a legislative right to a safe, suitable and affordable home.
How could a workforce strategy and funding changes address the crisis?
CIH Cymru argues that a comprehensive workforce strategy, backed by adequate funding, could begin to address the intertwined challenges highlighted by the survey. By prioritising investment in staff capacity, training and support, policymakers could help alleviate workloads, improve recruitment and retention, and reduce the mental health burden on existing teams.
The organisation contends that treating housing as a “key pillar” of public services would also mean embedding housing considerations across government priorities, from health and social care to economic development. In practice, this could involve more stable funding settlements, closer collaboration with practitioners on policy design, and clear recognition of the value of housing professionals’ expertise.
For housing professionals, such changes could translate into more manageable caseloads, clearer and more collaborative legislative processes, and access to support structures that protect their well-being. For residents and communities, a more resilient workforce would be better placed to deliver consistent, high-quality services and to uphold the right to safe, suitable and affordable homes that CIH Cymru has set out as a core goal.
What are the wider implications for housing and public services in Wales?
The survey’s findings resonate beyond the housing sector, touching on broader questions about the sustainability of public service delivery in Wales under continued financial and demand pressures. If mental health and well-being continue to deteriorate among housing professionals, there is a risk of increased staff turnover, recruitment challenges and reduced service quality at a time when need is rising.
CIH Cymru’s call to recognise housing as a central pillar of public services reflects the interconnected nature of housing with health, education and employment outcomes. Poor housing conditions or instability can exacerbate physical and mental health problems, hinder children’s education and limit people’s ability to work, placing further strain on other parts of the public sector.
By centring its 2026 manifesto on the idea of a professional and resilient workforce, CIH Cymru is effectively arguing that investment in housing staff is an investment in the wider well-being and prosperity of communities across Wales. The survey’s stark mental health findings serve as a reminder that such investment is not only about bricks and mortar, but also about the people who deliver housing services on the ground every day.
