The councils pay landlords for 1 room in a 8+ room house.
In the area I’m thinking of, this costs £900 (or $1100) a month. For comparison,
- Council flats (1 person flat) cost £500-600/month
- Market rate for apartments is £1000 / month.
I think the absurd rate being charged for abysmal conditions is partially rationalised by the fact that it’s paid to those landlords on a daily basis, but it’s obviously completely inefficient.
I don’t want to go into the horrors of being in a homeless shelter, but it would be better for everyone involved if housing was more accessible.
It may also be cheaper for the government as they wouldn’t need to spend so much on bureaucracy trying to figure out whether someone deserves money.