Reinventing Homes - the latest programme by CIH and ITN Business

In partnership with ITN Business, today we have launched Reinventing Homes a news-style programme exploring how social housing providers across the country are rising to the housing challenges of today.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought into focus the importance of our homes both as a place to live and work, highlighting the inequalities in society and the implications of poor-quality housing. As everyday prices rise and the need to cut our carbon emissions grows, radical solutions are needed to reinvent our homes.

Anchored by journalist and current affairs presenter Sian Williams, Reinventing Homes explores the work being done by housing associations and councils to address some of the key opportunities and challenges facing the housing sector today. Whether it’s environmental sustainability or tackling the cost of living, bringing people together or offering new opportunities, the programme shares stories of best practice and innovation from flat packed, energy efficient, council houses and renewable technologies to new standards for new builds and the retrofitting and redevelopment of older homes.

In an interview, James Prestwich, director of policy and external affairs said: “About a fifth of CO2 emissions in the UK come from our housing stock so there’s a real challenge there for us that we need to meet head on and there’s a big role to play for social landlords in helping to decarbonise our stock.”

The programme includes reporter-led films from the following partners:

• Hartlepool Borough Council has ambitions to continue developing the housing market to provide a range of high-quality affordable homes for their residents in several locations across the borough
• Kirklees Council’s Homes and Neighbourhoods is undertaking several initiatives to tackle rising heating costs while also working towards a net zero target date of 2038
• LiveWest is helping residents of Cornwall to not get priced out of their own neighbourhood by providing affordable, sustainable housing
• Livin Housing is investing in schemes in Shildon, County Durham, that redevelop homes to become more sustainable
• Livv Housing Group is a Liverpool City Region-based housing group who have developed a range of ‘fuel poverty indicators’ to help identify customers at the greatest risk
• Longleigh Foundation go beyond bricks and mortar by offering the vulnerable of society financial, emotional and wellbeing support through a unique, relational approach to grant-giving
• Midland Heart is a housing association delivering homes and services to more than 70 thousand people across the Midlands
• Platform Housing is helping people afford their own home in their local area, keeping them close to work, family and schools and are providing homes and support to the homeless
• Stonewater is a housing provider using innovation in their properties across the country to support their customers as their lives change as a result of the pandemic
• Torus, a housing and regeneration group in the Northwest, provide award-winning extra care schemes, improving the lives and life chances for customers and the communities they serve.

The programme also features a film focused on this year’s CIH presidential campaign, Homeful. Led by current CIH president, Jo Richardson, the campaign aims to explore housing-led approaches to resolving and presenting homelessness across the UK. Inspired by Raynor Winn’s The Salt Path, during April/May this year, Jo set off on an incredible journey to walk the 600+ miles of the South West Coast to raise funds and awareness for her chosen presidential charity End Youth Homelessness.

Gavin Smart, chief executive of CIH said: “For yet another year, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to have an impact, providing some of the biggest challenges for our communities, and our sector, have faced in a generation.

Reinventing Homes builds on the success of our previous collaborations with ITN Business, exploring the amazing resilience and innovation of the housing industry. Together, we’ll discover the inspiring stories of how housing organisations are rising to the current challenges, innovating to make positive change and embracing the opportunities within the challenges.”

Nina Harrison-Bell, head of industry news, ITN Productions said: “We are delighted to have partnered with the Chartered Institute of Housing to make a programme which will raise awareness of the challenges facing the housing sector and show the work that is being done by social housing providers across the country to improve lives and living conditions.”