It’s time to make sure Every Person Counts in housing

It is difficult to think of a more challenging time for the sector. With 8.5 million people – including 2 million children – not able to access the housing they need, we urgently have to step up the supply of affordable housing.

At the same time, social housing providers are under increased pressure to invest in and improve the nation’s 4 million-strong existing social housing stock.

With a constrained and uncertain funding environment and historically low balance sheet capacity, we are looking to providers to upgrade existing stock, fund decarbonisation and make building safety improvements. In short we are demanding they deliver more, with less.

High-profile media stories, including the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in Rochdale and the ITV investigation into conditions in social housing properties, have rightly prompted ministers to introduce a new regulatory regime for providers.

The Social Housing Regulation Act has now come into force, bringing in new consumer standards, a beefed-up regulator and the return of inspections. There is also Awaab’s Law, and mandatory qualifications for social housing managers coming down the track as well.

The list of competing priorities is long, and executive teams and boards have hard choices when weighing up the different demands.

Today’s registered providers are constantly assessing how they balance their spending between developing new homes and maintaining existing ones, all the while facing financial pressures like never before.

In the face of this onslaught of challenges, how can the sector’s leaders better look after themselves, their teams and ultimately the residents they are trying to serve? 

At times the professionals working in the sector must feel under siege. The job is getting harder and the sad reality is that many people, who joined the sector to make a difference, simply burn out. 

So, in the face of this onslaught of challenges, how can the sector’s leaders better look after themselves, their teams and the residents they are trying to serve? 

Having witnessed the dedication, talent and creativity of those working in social housing over the 14 years or so that I have covered the sector, I have no doubt that it can rise to the challenge. There are, however, a lot of issues to navigate and many questions to think about.

That is why Housing Today has launched its Every Person Counts initiative, which starts today. It aims to share insights around workforce issues across the whole of the housing sector.

Our coverage will look at what the sector needs to do to ensure it can rise to the challenge of meeting new regulations, improving standards in housing management while also moving closer to delivering 300,000 homes a year to tackle the housing crisis, and within that increasing affordable housing delivery to closer to 100,000.

>>See also: In search of a magic patch size: how social landlords are rethinking thier housing management approaches

>>See also: Every Person Counts

>>See also: A labour of love: my work as a housing and employment officer 

We will also be visiting different parts of the country to understand specific challenges that apply to devolved nations and the regions.

Over the coming weeks and months we aim to shine a spotlight on those who are leading the way, through efficient ways of working, employment initiatives, skills and education programmes, ideas around wellbeing as well as best practice around equality, diversity and inclusion policies. 

We kick off today with a piece by my colleague Olivia Barber that looks at the ways in which social landlords are restructuring their social housing management teams, including in some cases reducing patch sizes.

Over the coming weeks and months we aim to shine a spotlight on those who are leading the way, through efficient ways of working, employment initiatives, skills and education programmes, ideas around wellbeing as well as best practice around equality, diversity and inclusion policies

We also publish the first in a series of pieces called Frontline Stories looking at different job roles and individuals involved in interesting work across the sector, whether commercial, non-profit or local authority.

This is just the start. We want you to be part of an ongoing discussion and to get involved with Every Person Counts by talking to us about your experiences and ideas.

So let’s share the sector’s best solutions and help to ensure that every person working in housing really feels that they do count. 

Carl Brown is head of content at Housing Today