Five talking points from our Big Conversation on EDI

Housing prides itself on being a values-based profession, but what does this actually mean, and how can the sector take a more proactive approach to equality, diversity, and inclusion? Our recent Big Conversation sought to answer these questions and more.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is a keen topic of discussion within housing, but how far along are we in our journey to becoming a truly equal, diverse, and inclusive sector? This was the core question of our recent Big Conversation event. 

Chaired by our Scotland director, Callum Chomczuk, the discussion sought to assess the level of progress the housing sector is making on EDI; what action the sector can take to further improve on its work in this area; and what obstacles might get in the way of further progress. 

Speakers included Diana MacLean, the CEO of Riverside Scotland; Alysha Burrell, founder and director of Building Future Leaders; and Lee Collymore, development and customer experience project officer at Stonewater.

Here are the five big talking points from the event. 

We’re making progress – but there’s more to do 

Where are we currently at with EDI in housing? Are we making progress or merely standing still? The consensus from the discussion was that, yes, we are heading in the right direction, but there is no shortage of work to do.

"If I’m totally honest, we’ve got such a long way to go, particularly in Scotland,” Riverside Scotland CEO Diana MacLean on the need to embed specific EDI programmes. “They’re run centrally, and to try...and put them across everybody and to make everybody aware of them, it’s a difficult thing. 

“You could almost look at Riverside of a microcosm of the country: nationally, there’ll be pockets of great things going on, but the really difficult thing is embedding it and pushing it out.” 

“But it can be done,” she added. 

Lee Collymore, who works on development and customer experience at Stonewater, spoke of the need for all housing providers to continually try to improve diversity within the sector. 

“I often hear that we should let it happen organically,” he said. “Organically, at what cost? There are people’s lives at stake here. Awaab Ishak, for example.” 

EDI is not just a tick-box exercise 

The discussion took place during Black History Month, a time when many organisations – both in and outside of housing – make a point of highlighting the work they are doing to improve ethnic diversity and BAME representation. 

While this is welcome, Alysha Burrell – founder and director of Building Future Leaders and a CIH Futures board member – questioned how many organisations follow through on their commitments when October ends, highlighting the tendency of some to see diversity awareness observances as a “tick-box” exercise. 

“A lot of things are for perception,” she said. “You promote things on social media, showing that ‘our company is doing this’, but for those who are actually in those organisations, are those at the top listening?” 

Similarly, Lee spoke of the need to avoid the “illusion” of inclusion and deliver more than “lip service”.

(L) Riverside Scotland CEO Diana MacLean; (TR) CIH Scotland director Callum Chomczuk; (BR) Lee Collymore, Stonewater development and customer experience project officer

The power of strong leadership 

All agreed on the need for visible leadership on EDI. Alysha said that, if executives lack the impetus for change, then it becomes a lot harder to make progress. 

“It comes down to will,” she said. “Do organisations and those at the top have the will to actually want to implement EDI initiatives that do make change?” 

“It definitely needs to be driven from the top,” she added later in the discussion. 

Diana spoke of the commitment she witnesses from the wider Riverside leadership team, testifying to the benefits such commitment can have. 

“We're very lucky,” she said, “we’ve got Carol Matthews, who’s absolutely committed and driven by inclusion, and I think that’s what makes the difference.” 

Diana also pointed out that the entirety of Riverside Scotland’s leadership team is female. 

Stonewater’s head of EDI, Cordelia Johnney, who later joined the discussion, spoke of the need for an organisation, or group of organisations, to whom others in the sector could turn for leadership and direction. 

“At the moment,” said Cordelia, who also co-chairs CIH’s EDI members group, “there isn’t a leadership organisation out there who can share best practice and help and coordinate and lead, so we can all do it together.” 

Will the professionalisation agenda create a barrier? 

The sector might be moving in the right direction when it comes to EDI, but there is undoubtedly more to be done. Yet, there was a point to be made about whether the professionalisation agenda might impede future progress. 

While panellists said they were in favour of the new mandatory qualifications, they agreed that consideration needs to be paid to those for whom formal education typically presents a barrier. 

“The key is to make sure that the routes into qualifications are not all the same, that you can tailor them to people’s specific ways of learning,” said Diana.

Diana MacLean's presentation highlighted the diversity among Riverside Scotland colleagues and customers (Credit: Riverside Scotland)

“I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing, but how does it look?” Lee asked, echoing the sentiment. “Education, qualifications, aren’t for everyone, so we’ll have to create alternative routes for those who aren’t maybe into their books, and writing, and doing essays, and standing up and presenting.” 

He added: “But generally speaking, professionalising the sector, that can’t be a bad thing.” 

More collaboration is needed 

Another key point that those involved in the discussion agreed on – and which regularly comes up in discussions on other issues in the sector – is the need for more collaborative working. 

Alysha said: “A lot of initiatives are very siloed, and it does need that collaborative approach...What can all organisations really be learning from those organisations who are doing great things?” 

Lee said there exists opportunities for more joined-up working in the sector, particularly regionally. For smaller organisations, or those that lack the resources to launch EDI initiatives and campaigns, he suggested they get involved with others in the region with whom they could work collaboratively. 

Cordelia again pressed the need for greater collaboration within the sector, saying: “We should all be travelling together, rather than travelling as individuals.” 

She added: “We're more competitive than we are collaborative, and that’s not going to help any one of us get further along this journey – and it is a long journey.”

Cordelia highlighted Stonewater’s keenness to attend events such as the Notting Hill Carnival to promote housing within black communities, something she said housing associations and the wider sector should be doing together. 

She also advocated for a mutual EDI fund that the sector could use for such purposes, adding that doing so would allow smaller providers, or those with limited resources, to get involved in EDI initiatives that they would otherwise be unable to. 

"Everybody put in a small amount of money and go as one sector,” she suggested. “Rather than it costing one housing association a whole lot of money, just to do something that we could all do together.” 

The importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion 

The Big Conversation on equality, diversity, and inclusion lived up to its billing. Much was discussed, from the progress so far made – and the progress still to be made – to why the sector, as always, must collaborate more if it wishes to achieve its ultimate EDI goals. 

Stonewater’s Lee Collymore summed up neatly why the EDI agenda is so important. 

“It's not about giving someone a space because they’re black or because they’re gay. It's not about that,” he said. “It's about creating opportunities for those people to excel in those positions if they want to. 

“Not everybody wants to be a chief executive. Not everybody wants to be a senior leader, middle leader...But if there’s an appetite for someone to be there, and we recognise that the representation isn’t there, then I believe opportunities should be afforded to create a level playing field.”

• Watch the recording 
• Find out more about CIH’s EDI work 
• More CIH events