Getting out again

As Covid restrictions lift it’s great to be able to start getting out and about again.

Having joined CIH in November I’ve been pretty much working from home every day and have really missed the social interaction that comes from seeing people off screen. So, I was delighted to be able to undertake a couple of visits recently to start meeting CIH members and getting a feel for some of the issues on the ground.

My first ‘fieldtrip’ was to visit CEO Matthew Bailes, Martyn Jones and Craig Stuart from the Paradigm Housing team at a new build site in Sawbridgeworth where they have a number of affordable housing and shared ownership units. It was great to see the life cycle of the project, from the foundations in the ground to some of the ‘ready to go’ show-homes, and to hear from the site manager on the daily challenges they’re grappling with to make sure they deliver on time. I know a lot more about roof tiles now!

CIH director of policy and external affairs, James Prestwich and I then spent a day last week with CEO Aileen Evans and some of the amazing team at Grand Union - where even the stairs welcome you when you arrive! We heard from their director of customer experience, Naomi Sweeting, on their work around segmentation which blew my mind (more info to follow on this soon). We then went out to meet with Rachel Welbourn, successful tenancies team leader, to hear about the fantastic work she’s doing – in partnership – to help tackle county lines and make their residents safer. We finished off with a visit to a refuge and a meeting with the domestic abuse and safeguarding lead.

I’m now looking forward to my next visit – to Brooklands in Milton Keynes with Branwen Evans from Places for People. There’s so much to see and learn and so many amazing people to meet. As broadcaster Evan Davis said recently when interviewing someone on Radio 4, “in the end it all comes back to housing”. 

If you’d like me or one of the team to come and see you and your work please drop us a line at policyandpractice@cih.org or contact me directly at Rachael.williamson@cih.org