Making your voice count for housing

As a fan of dystopian novels, these last 10 months or so have felt all too much like stories from a far-fetched version of reality have been realised in our present time. Despite the harshness of the situation we share with a global community, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the resilience of countless individuals, families, communities and organisations. That show of resilience has been no stranger to the housing sector.

From a housing perspective the pandemic has both, on the one hand shifted focus to the immediate and pressing need to provide support, maintain safety and focus on the present, while on the other it has highlighted why not just having a home, but a home of a desirable standard with access to outside space, enabling safe community interaction is so important. That truism existed long before we heard the word Coronavirus, its existence surely only amplifies that getting to a place where everyone can access a safe, affordable and accessible home is the norm is even more pressing.

Whilst the Covid haze lies heavily in our daily lives, there is a national election on the horizon in Wales - and what an election it is set to be. One thing the pandemic has highlighted is the role of devolution and what that means for people in Wales, something which in itself could (and should) mean more people find their way to the polling stations. And whether you’re in favour or avidly against the measures in place, many more people will have been engaged in discussions about their politicians in recent months in scrutinising those making these often difficult decisions.

But whether it’s ill-feeling or emphatic support (or something in between) that drives people’s desire to use their vote, we as a housing sector should not miss the opportunity to leverage public feeling towards the importance of a good home to urge those who come to be in positions of power to make a clear commitment to social and affordable housing, housing support services and housing’s role in the government’s activity in public services and infrastructure more generally.

At CIH we’ve been working hard to speak with housing professionals from a wide variety of roles and organisations, to better understand what political parties should consider doing to improve how social and affordable housing is delivered in Wales. ‘Election calls’ in themselves are often a reminder to political parties, who already know the right thing to do, to do the right thing. I hope our calls can go a bit further in some respects.

One thing that could really see a massive shift for the housing profession is the idea of a workforce strategy for the housing sector. In its infancy this could be a government-led strategy that sets out our national approach to developing career routes, retaining talent and expertise, matching skills and learning with our vision for housing in Wales and promoting diversity amongst the workforce. As it refines and matures we could develop intelligent data about the workforce, get a sense of how to future-proof the profession particularly in relation to the growth of automation and AI, and measure overall satisfaction with working in the sector. Much like our friends in healthcare and teaching this could really help ensure the people who are tasked with doing the stuff (ending homelessness, building cutting-edge social and affordable housing, regenerating communities) have what they need to make that happen.

That links heavily to our desire to see a green partnership for the sector – a clear framework bringing together evidence, current policy initiatives and paving the way for future practice around building sustainably, utilising technological advances and decrabonising existing homes.

One part of the sector that cannot be overlooked is the evolution of the private rented sector. I say evolution as to my mind that’s what we’re talking about, true progress that benefits tenants and landlords alike. Whilst there have been and will be further improvements on the horizon we want to see a clear strategy focussing on the private rented sector that ensures tenants who rent privately have a high-quality experience and landlords have what they need to operate and engage positively.

The stigma surrounding social housing, tenants and communities/areas has been a stubborn and frustrating barrier to gaining the recognition that social housing and supported housing services truly need and deserve. In our recent public polling work 42 per cent of people in Wales said they would never want to live in social housing, and almost two thirds of people felt social housing estates suffered from high levels of crime and anti-social behaviour. (You can see the full report here.)

People’s views come from all sorts of sources and are the result of a myriad of conditions, so changing mindsets and informing views is undoubtedly a mammoth task. But when we consider the profile housing has at this current time there is a real opportunity to use housing as a topic to unite people, a cause for people to support and get behind as we work to revitalise and support communities during and beyond Covid.

All of that underpinned by bringing forward the right to adequate housing into Welsh law – something that would make it loud and clear that where every single person lives really matters.

As housing professionals everyone has a role to play in placing housing at the heart of the discussion around every table – be that table in the Cabinet office in Cardiff Bay, in meeting rooms as we gravitate around our professional networks or in our own homes with our family and friends.

This year, we’re asking professionals to get behind our ‘Back housing/ Cefnogi Tai’ campaign aiming to highlight the merits of all I’ve mentioned above to political parties and ensure that housing is seen as a central component in creating the next government. You can get your pack here and begin making your voice count for housing.