In partnership with:
A week highlighting the importance of homes and community as a key building block for health and wellbeing.
Healthy Homes, Healthy Places Week took place between 30 September and 4 October 2024.
It showcased that homes provide the foundation from which people and communities can thrive. During the week we brought together organisations to show the positive impact that good quality, safe homes and places have on our health and wellbeing.
Highlights of Healthy Homes, Healthy Places Week
Monday 30 September
Webinar: Health starts at home – progress on tackling damp and mould
To kick start the week, this webinar looked at the critical issue of tackling damp and mould and the progress being made across the sector.
Tuesday 1 October
Videocast: Tackling fuel poverty and retrofitting for health
On day two, we released this videocast examining what organisations are doing to integrate enhanced health and wellbeing benefits into their energy efficiency and retrofit strategies.
Wednesday 2 October
Videocast: Reflections on the power of partnership – in conversation with Aileen Evans (GUHG), Richard Hill (bpha) and Liz Parsons (public health)
Day three, our videocast focused on collaboration, and tackling health inequalities in communities by working in partnership.
Thursday 3 October
Webinar: Addressing health inequalities: supported housing and health
In this session we brought together providers of supported housing to demonstrate the long-term health benefits their services provide to residents.
Resources to help you
We have curated a wide range of supporting resources to from CIH and key stakeholders to help support and inform you on key topics.
CIH resources:
- Knowledge Hub: Climate and sustainability
- A social energy tariff: The benefits of energy market reform for the social housing sector
- Webinar recording: Navigating climate change and the cost of living crisis (Member only)
- Blog: Why cheap fixes are failing our homes: how landlords can unlock a sustainable future for accessible homes
- Blog: Feeling the heat
Other useful resources:
- Orbit Group: 2500 Days Navigating the path to net zero carbon homes with our customers
- Northern Housing Consortium: The social housing tenants’ climate jury
- Barnsley's Affordable Warmth Charter Mark
- Barnsley MBC: Housing Strategy
- Barnsley MBC: Make your home warmer and cheaper to run
- Barnsley MBC: More Money in Your Pocket - cost of living support
- Berneslai Homes: Damp and mould
- NICE guidelines (NG6): Excess winter deaths and illness and the health risks associated with cold homes.
- UK Government: Adverse Weather and Health Plan
CIH resources:
- Sharing the art of the possible: developing stronger health and housing partnerships
- Expanding the art of the possible: the role for health, care and housing partnerships in the developing local framework
- Building blocks for life: Housing and healthy neighbourhoods
- Building blocks for life: How to develop effective health and housing partnerships
- Blog: Helping to tackle health inequalities
- Blog: Why ‘decent homes’ simply isn’t good enough
- Podcast: Health and housing partnerships
- Webinar recording: Building Blocks for Life: Positive Partnerships Across Health and Housing (Member only)
Other useful resources:
CIH resources:
- What you need to know about the Social Housing (Regulation) Act (Member only)
- What you need to know about the Supported Housing (Regulator Oversight) Act 2023 (Member only)
- Blog: Looking to the future: meeting need for supported and older person’s housing
- Sector showcase: Housing and independent living (Member only)
Other useful resources:
We wanted also point you in the direction of some great tools to support mental health, amongst housing professionals, and the residents and communities with whom we work. These were developed with the sponsorship of Aileen Evans, when president of CIH, 2019-21.
The workplace guidance calls for six commitments from employers to support workplace mental health, and provides tips and examples on achieving these. The commitments are to:
- Prioritise mental health in the workplace by developing a systematic programme of activity
- Ensure work design and organisational culture drive positive mental health outcomes
- Promote an open culture around mental health
- Increase organisational confidence and capability
- Provide mental health tools and support
- Increase transparency and accountability through internal and external monitoring.
Find out more about how to fulfil these commitments in the full guide available here: Mental health at work: commitment guide for the housing sector.
Residents in social housing are often facing some of the most difficult situations especially in the light of the cost-of-living crisis. The Shine a Light campaign also developed help to support people in homes and communities who are facing mental health problems, to sustain their tenancies, and provide effective support. Find the full guide here: Shine a light: supporting people with mental health problems.
Revisit our webinar looking at how organisations are applying these principles and guides: webinar: shine a light on mental health and housing (member only)
Check out blogs exploring the impact of living in temporary accommodation on children’s mental health:
There are also examples of how housing providers are working with residents and communities more broadly with costs of living. You can find the full series of briefings here: Cost of living briefings.
Become a member today
Join the UK’s biggest housing professional network.
Gain professional recognition across the sector by demonstrating your commitment to creating a housing system where everyone has a place to call home.
As a CIH member you will gain access to the latest sector-leading knowledge and best practice, free attendance our events and training, and much more.
