Together we will stop the stigma

It’s been a year since the launch of It's not okay, the guide developed by See the Person and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) exploring how to address stigma in social housing. Over the past 12 months, the team of tenants that make up the See the Person campaign group have been busy raising awareness and drumming up support amongst tenants and residents and with landlords. And at CIH, we've been busy too, developing and launching our new professional standards framework, reflecting and embedding the challenges raised in the guide within the standards and setting expectations about how housing professionals can and should play their part to address stigma and discrimination when they see it. We have also spoken to many organisations that have been using the guide to explore the ways their services are developed and delivered and how these help or hinder when it comes to stopping experiences of stigma.

Tackling stigma and improving conditions for people living in social housing was a thread throughout the Social housing White Paper (which referenced both the guide and the work of See the Person) and it's likely to remain an important consideration for the Regulator of Social Housing as it develops its tenant satisfaction measures. The Housing Ombudsman has had a huge response to its call for people to join its residents panel too, helping to ensure initiatives are in place for a stronger voice for tenants in the wider framework for the sector.

Media coverage showing poor standards in some social homes highlights the level of investment we need to improve the quality of our existing housing stock, in addition to developing more affordable housing for people to access. We also need to ensure that we are listening respectfully and responding appropriately to individuals when they raise concerns to improve tenants’ experience with repairs, maintenance, and housing management services. It's not okay was always intended as a tool to encourage housing professionals and organisations to reflect on how and why we work in this sector; social housing is about people, not simply bricks and mortar.

So, one year on, we still need to keep up the momentum and focus on working together - tenants, professionals, and landlords - to address stigma.

In order to do this, See the Person, TPAS and CIH are joining forces to run a week of events from Monday 19 July - Friday 24 July 2021, so together we can stop the stigma. Individuals will be joining us to share their experiences and we'll explore some of the excellent work that's been done throughout the sector. We'll also delve into how organisations have used the guide effectively in addition to the earlier paper produced by See the Person for journalists and communication professionals (Fair Press for Tenants). Throughout the week, we'll come together to share ideas about what more can be done to tackle stigma and improve the experience of people living in social housing. You can join us across the whole week, or simply drop in on the sessions that interest you most.

We hope that many tenants and professionals will join in and make this a week where more steps can be taken to tackle stigma in social housing.