Vulnerable people ‘set up to fail’ in Birmingham’s streets of unregulated ‘supported’ housing

In Pershore Road, in Selly Park, Birmingham, 42% of properties are now ‘exempt’ housing. Photograph: Andrew Fox/The Guardian

In just four years, John Freeman has lived in about 30 different “exempt” accommodation properties in Birmingham, his stay in each place frequently breaking down without support for his mental health and his addictions.

Use of exempt accommodation, a type of unregulated supported accommodation for vulnerable people, has soared across the country in recent years, particularly in Birmingham which now has about 30,000 units.