On 25 March 2026, Crawley Borough Council announced it has purchased a building in the town centre of Crawley, West Sussex, to provide housing for residents in need. The council spent £6 million to buy Shaw House on Orchard Street, using a £2.2 million grant from the government to help cover the cost.
Once refurbished, the building will offer 26 self-contained flats and should be ready for use by late summer 2026. The project is expected to save the council about £480,000 every year by reducing the need to pay for expensive housing in other towns.
Currently, there are 630 households in temporary housing and more than 2,200 households on the waiting list for a home. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of households the council had to place in housing outside the local area rose from 83 to 424.
Council leaders previously declared a housing emergency in February 2024 when the cost of emergency housing grew to take up one-third of the entire council budget. Council Leader Michael Jones said the purchase is a significant step forward that will help keep people close to local support services.
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