48 minute read
Life in 15
A life in 15 questions
1. Tell us about your career and how you ended up in your current role
After leaving university, I decided to do something with a social purpose. After some temporary jobs, I started life on the frontline of a local authority housing department, working with homeless people and others in housing need. After seven years in numerous roles, including senior allocations officer, neighbourhood manager and area manager, I left the council and worked with various housing providers. Along with way, I picked up a housing professional qualification and an MBA. Over the years, I’ve worked for East Midlands Housing Association, Charnwood Forest HA, Friendship Care and Housing, and Places for People. I ended up back at East Midlands Housing as CEO in 2004.
2. Describe yourself in three words
Calm, determined, values-led.
3. Favourite place on earth?
Udaipur, India. Whilst backpacking across India in 1994, my partner and I stopped for a few days in the socalled ‘White City’. With its hotel in the lake and serene atmosphere, it was a much needed peaceful retreat after the hustle and bustle of the big cities. I’d like to go again sometime.
4. Describe your home
I live in a 1930s Art Deco house with lots of character, including a
Chan Kataria
CEO, emh
Rayburn, high ceilings and large garden plot. I love the house but, on the downside, it’s not particularly energy efficient.
5. What would you change about yourself?
Wish I had fewer grey hairs!
6. What makes you angry?
Street homelessness, food banks and removal of universal credit support. Why we must live with such manifestations of disadvantage in one of the richest countries is beyond me!
7. Most treasured possession
My first car, a turquoise Datsun 120Y. It was falling apart at the best of times, the engine was changed at least once and the paint was always peeling off. But it ran like a dream, and I loved it so much.
8. Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t give up. If something is important to you, fight for it and make sure it happens.
9. Biggest achievement?
Achieving a second Dan black belt in Karate was the biggest achievement. Never have I been knocked about so much and felt so good!
10. Biggest regret?
Should have travelled a bit more before getting into the worlds of work, mortgage and parenthood.
11. If you won £1 million on the Lottery, what would you spend it on?
Helping my children to buy a home each, travel anywhere for a few weeks, and donate some to my favourite charities.
12. Most overused phrase?
‘For the avoidance of any doubt…’.
13. Recommend a book
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I love the collection of John Le Carre’s books featuring George Smiley and his adversary, Karla. These books are atmospheric and the way they capture the suspicion and skulduggery between the protagonists in the days of the Cold War is a joy to read.
14. The best piece of television in the last 12 months?
The Blair Brown Years. This laid bare the ins and outs of a decade in which Blair won three elections, achieved a lot, but will be remembered for his relationship problems with the guy next door at number 11 and, of course, the disastrous Iraq War!
15. Tell us a secret about yourself
I don’t like snakes, I do like Mondays and I have the biggest affliction of the phenomenon known as imposter syndrome!
Getting to work on closing the skills gap
From Brexit to the pandemic to the ‘Great Resignation’, the challenges keep coming. Whether it’s people leaving the country, locked down or self-isolating, or rethinking their careers altogether, life is not easy for those responsible for hiring the right employees.
This is nowhere truer than in our industry. Construction and infrastructure depend on a reliable supply of skilled, accredited and motivated workers. And after the past few years of disruption, longterm concerns about a skills gap are becoming acute.
At United Living, though, we believe it is our job to work proactively to make our industry attractive to the most promising talent. We also recognise that the people we recruit will not always be the finished article. Rather than creaming off talent that has been trained elsewhere, we see it as our responsibility to develop our people, ensuring they have the skills and experience they need to serve our clients.
Perhaps most importantly, we recognise that the two things – attracting people and developing their talent – are intimately connected. The upcoming generation is motivated by the prospect of regular upskilling and new challenges. They want to feel valued and invested in, so we make sure their experience in our industry is a positive one. They are motivated by the idea of being part of something meaningful. Our values as a place maker, committed to sustainable living, are as important as our ability to attract talent as anything else.
We are proud of our reputation for nurturing talent, and in casting the net widely to attract and empower people who would not traditionally have considered a career in construction. We are accredited as Investors in People (Gold). We make a particular effort to recruit former members of the armed forces. We are also committed to the government’s Disability Confident scheme.
In addition, we are members of the 5% Club, which means we aspire to have 5% of our workforce in ‘earn and learn’ positions within five years of joining. To that end, we have an apprenticeship scheme which will be taking on its 2022 intake very shortly. We also employ people through Kickstart, and upskill throughout the business via various diplomas. We are just as proactive in seeking to recruit graduates. For example, members of the United Living Property Services team last year attended a ‘Meet the Employer’ event at the University of Wolverhampton.
Not wishing to limit ourselves to half the population, we are also passionate about increasing gender diversity within the construction industry, and are a member of Women into Construction (WIC). When it comes to securing the manpower – and womanpower – we need, there is no substitute for putting in the hard work.
https://unitedliving.co.uk/ 01322 665522 info@unitedliving.co.uk
EVIDENCE update
The latest research and analysis – in plain English
Issue 35 | March 2022
In this issue:
10 Welcome 11 Housing education: Looking back and looking forward 12 What do we mean by professionalism? 13 Securing energy efficient retrofit in Chile 14 Energy costs will rise most for those on lowest incomes 15 Working with local stakeholders: How professionals overcome competing priorities 15 Bridging the divide with new social housing 16 What’s driving up rent arrears in social housing? 17 Housing conference returns to Sheffield
Welcome
With the government announcing a review of professionalism in the housing sector, it seems a great moment to celebrate success. It’s 40 years since the University of Stirling launched its housing studies course – and it’s still going strong. Vikki McCall and Kim McKee chart the development of a vibrant branch of study in Scotland.
Meanwhile, HQN Associate and practitioner Emma Lindley takes a look at the government’s announcement and asks some pertinent questions about what the review intends to achieve. And what will the shape of training and professional development be in future?
A study from the Netherlands looked at how housing and regeneration professionals manage the tensions inherent in community engagement projects. The research highlights the role of frontline staff in working with local stakeholders, negotiating with colleagues to achieve what residents want, and then drawing together the people, organisations and resources to make it happen.
In South Africa, social housing has been seen as a means to empower poor, segregated communities, help people to live near work opportunities and underpin regeneration of inner cities. But has the programme lived up to those ideals? New research considers the location of schemes and their ability to deliver on multiple aims.
Governments around the world are grappling with climate change and the demands of net zero targets. Chile has announced ambitious goals but its housing stock is drastically in need of improvement. Researchers looked at straightforward retrofit techniques that could offer a highly replicable solution for standardised apartment blocks.
And here in the UK households are facing huge fuel cost increases. Analysis by the Resolution Foundation finds that the poorest will be hardest hit – despite some progressive elements in the government’s package to alleviate price hikes. We’ll be following this issue in coming issues as fuel costs threaten to derail the climate change agenda.
Janis Bright Editor, Evidence
Dr Vikki McCall and Dr Kim McKee discuss the development of housing
studies in Scotland.
Housing studies as a subject has a long and vibrant history in Scotland, with the University of Stirling the longest standing course in the UK recently celebrating its 40-year anniversary. These courses were created due to demand and the need to support professional practice in the housing sector throughout the UK.
Housing studies learning, teaching, training and development courses have evolved over the years, often including unique internship elements (such as University of Stirling Diploma/MSc in Housing Studies with internship), apprenticeships, and impactful graduate traineeships and sponsorship opportunities with key social landlords such as the Wheatley Group and Kingdom Housing Association. A lot of students already work in the housing sector, with education providing the opportunity for them to develop their careers, with flexible and blended learning being key to fulfilling employer and student expectations.
Maintaining high-quality housing education
High standards in housing studies learning and teaching are upheld by the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, which sets out the expectations for all providers of UK higher education. Professor Isobel Anderson (University of Stirling) chaired a review of the housing studies subject benchmark statements in 2021, supported by prominent housing academics across the UK (including Dr Craig Gurney and Dr Helen Taylor from the University of Glasgow and Cardiff Metropolitan University).
As the body for professional standards, the Chartered Institute of Housing seeks to ensure housing practitioners have the right knowledge, skills and values for their roles. A recent review of housing education in Scotland, involving the Universities of Stirling and Glasgow, highlighted the value of housing education and mapped the ‘vibrant landscape’ of provision. Nonetheless, collaboration and dialogue between key partners was highlighted as critical to meeting the future demands of the profession. This extends beyond traditional social housing management to also include the private rented sector, which now houses one in five UK households.
Research highlights that education performs a key function in raising standards in the private rented sector by making landlords aware of their responsibilities under the law, as well as encouraging the adoption of good practice (McKee et al., 2021). Scotland has already taken steps in this direction through the mandatory training and qualifications that letting agents must hold as part of their registration. Research is also currently being commissioned by CIH Scotland to evaluate this.
Levelling-up education, learning, training and development in housing studies
Work on housing education continues at the UK level, with the Social Housing White Paper in England acknowledging the importance of professionalism in the housing sector, and a new Professionalisation Review Working Group (with members including Drs Vikki McCall and Helen Taylor) led by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities looking at training, development and how to sustain a high-calibre social housing workforce equipped to provide a high-quality and professional service. To hear more about this, people can contact Stephen Ward: ProfessionalisationReview@communities. gov.uk. The focus on professionalism in the Social Housing White Paper in England is a clear indication that more can be done in improving housing practice across the UK.
Those teaching housing studies are also embedded in the academic community to keep housing studies current and relevant as a subject integrated with other key social policy developments in health, social care, employment, welfare and sustainability. For example, via roles on the Housing Studies Association Executive Committee (Dr Kim McKee), Social Policy Association Executive Committee (Dr Vikki McCall) and SPA Housing Policy Group (led by Dr Steve Rolfe, University of Stirling), and a number of social policy and housing journals. This ensures housing studies is at the forefront of critical academic scholarly debates while linking those insights directly to housing practice.
Future proofing the housing sector
It is a very common adage in the sector that people ‘fall into housing’. While this can be a strength creating a wide variety of skilled individuals in the sector, the lack of a clear route into housing is one of the key barriers to accessing education. The routes into housing studies are often complex and fragmented, with no clear pathways after completing secondary education and a lack of undergraduate routes in Scotland. Housing studies as an undergraduate route is often merged in with sociology and social policy, with graduates onto postgraduate courses coming from a wide range of backgrounds, including marketing, business and even history. There needs to be clearer routes into housing education to attract talented individuals into the sector who will help support professional practice.
Importantly, diversity in the housing sector is a further important area of development. Key partners, such as PATH Scotland, are helping to widen and develop careers in the housing sector within traditionally excluded groups. Diversity is key to encouraging inclusive workplaces and a strong, multi-cultural housing sector.
References
McKee K, Rolfe S, Feather J, Simcock T & Hoolachan J (2021) Making a home in the private rented sector: An evidence review. SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust. Stirling: University of Stirling.
Dr Vikki McCall and Dr Kim McKee are Senior Lecturers in Social Policy and Housing at the University of Stirling
What do we mean by professionalism?
HQN Associate Emma Lindley teases out some questions for government about its recent announcement of a review.
The recent announcement by the Department for Housing (I can’t keep up with the name changes any more so I give up and this is what I’m calling it from now on) launching a review of qualifications and professional training has pushed me to put my brain into work mode for a few minutes at the halfway stage of my maternity leave.
If you’ve seen me online or in person anywhere in the last four years, there’s a good chance I will have mentioned the topic of professionalism once or twice. After becoming fed up of being unable to answer the question ‘what is a housing professional’, and a call from the Housing Studies Association looking for conference papers on this very subject back in 2018, I took it upon myself to conduct some research and tried to come up with an answer.
You can read the write up of this research here, in summary:
Historically, professionalism and professional bodies have been concerned with ensuring members acquire a prescribed body of knowledge and adhere to a strict code of conduct. However, the future of professionalism may focus more on customer-focused self-development within an organisational culture, rather than acquiring technical knowledge through a national institution. Survey respondents focused heavily on qualifications and training when defining professionalism. However, the literature uses a broader definition, including the autonomous exercise of reasoned judgement. Survey respondents considered that the purpose of a professional body is, firstly, to raise standards, and, secondly, to provide leadership and influence others.
Since publishing this, I’ve been involved with a CIH internal professionalism working group, spoken with civil servants leading on the professionalism agenda for the green and white paper and contributed to the development of the new CIH professional standards framework. I’m of course thrilled to see so much activity on this important issue, if not a little frustrated at how long things are taking or that all this work is needed more than 100 years after Octavia Hill started collecting rent, but let’s move on.
So, here are the thoughts that I found circling my brain after reading the press release to announce the review: • What’s the problem this review is trying to solve?
Poor customer service and complaint handling?
Poor property conditions and poor tenancy management? If so, this seems more about basic job competence rather than professionalism. • Whatever the problem is, it seems to have already been decided that the answer lies in
qualifications and training – but does it? And if it does, what kind of training? Is it to improve technical knowledge or behaviours? Does the training course or qualification tick the box for the rest of your career? What about CPD or reassessment? And who’s teaching these courses – what qualifications and experience will they have and how will quality be assured? • What parts of the housing workforce are covered by this review? Anyone who has direct interaction with tenant/resident/customers?
Decision makers? Back office/central service teams? How will the qualifications cater for non-housing staff in a housing organisation, if at all? • And what about specialist housing providers and their staff providing services across a huge spectrum, from domestic abuse refuges to
Housing First projects for rough sleepers, to retirement accommodation with nursing care.
How will the qualifications cater for those in specialist roles? • Then, of course, there are local authorities, who will deliver services to tenants from dedicated housing departments, but also from departments serving all residents of the area.
How will the qualifications cater for those in broader roles? • How will success be measured? How will the qualifications and training remain fit for purpose in the rapidly changing world we live and work in? • Who’s going to pay? For the qualifications, and also for the more highly qualified staff? And will a requirement for certain qualifications and training worsen the recruitment challenges that many areas experience?
My final thoughts are as they were four years ago – is the sector acting sufficiently professionally? How do we judge/measure this? Does the answer to the professionalism problem lie in a high level framework and a body to enforce compliance, at an organisational and/or individual level?
After six months in the bubble of motherhood, I’m sure there are other questions that I’ve overlooked, so, please do share your thoughts, ideas and hopes for this review.
Securing energy efficient retrofit in Chile
From the late 1960s for a decade, the Chilean government built social housing across the country using the same architectural model. The mid-rise blocks took no account of the extremes of climate in Chile, located as it is between latitudes 18 and 53° south.
Today, the blocks need refurbishment, not least to reach Chile’s ambitious net-zero carbon goal of 2050. The work is challenging: the concrete walls are considered to have no thermal value and the blocks are single glazed.
A group of researchers studied refurbishment approaches in four cities ranging from Antofagasta in the north, to Santiago and Concepcion and then Punta Arenas in the far south where the average July temperature is 1.7°C.
In one method, walls and floors were insulated to a basic level and windows double glazed. The fabric was sealed to prevent draughts and a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery installed. The second method was similar, but with higher insulation values. In a third method, the buildings were also modified to add an unheated ‘sun space’ to each apartment.
The results were remarkable. Residents in the northern city of Antofagasta required little
heating, as might be expected, but in the other three cities heating demand dropped by more than three quarters after the refurbishment. The sun spaces produced a modest improvement over the outside temperature in winter, and acted as a buffer, keeping the living rooms warmer.
However, summer overheating in the three more northerly cities was a problem. This was reduced by fitting blinds and using a more intensive ventilation system.
The researchers looked at whether the carbon produced by the retrofit materials over their lifetime exceeded the carbon released by the existing poorly insulated buildings. In fact there were good savings in this regard, particularly with the higher insulation option.
The authors suggest that the simple design of the buildings and their identical construction would support an ambitious and widespread retrofit programme. Chile will need to institute such a programme if it’s to reach its carbon zero target.
Thermal and environmental evaluation of midrise social housing retrofit under different climate conditions Gilles Flamant, Waldo Bustamante, Cristian Schmitt, Victor Bunster and Cesar Osorio https://bit.ly/3Lk5t0q
Energy costs will rise most for those on lowest incomes
Analysis by the Resolution Foundation charts the effects of the government’s measures to alleviate the steep rise in energy costs this year. The thinktank finds that although the £200 rebate and £150 off Council Tax for most households are welcome, low-income households will still suffer very steep cost hikes.
The £200 discount on bills will not apply until October, and must be repaid in £40 tranches over the next four years. After the lifting of the price cap average costs are set to rise by 53% per household. The rebate will lower this to a 39% increase – still huge.
Some people on the lowest incomes will miss out on the Council Tax rebate as they live in relatively expensive houses, while others such as students may not see any benefit, says the foundation.
For people on the lowest incomes, costs will increase by 12% of their total income, or 7% with both discounts. But people on the highest incomes will see their costs rise by only 4% of income, or 3% with the discounts. The foundation estimates that even with the government measures, 20% or five million households will end up in ‘fuel stress’, spending more than 10% of their income on fuel.
Coupled with the National Insurance rise from April and general cost of living increases, real disposable income growth is forecast to be the lowest since records began in 1949. The Bank of England says it will reach -2% this year.
The price is right? https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/ publications/the-price-is-right/
Working with local stakeholders: How professionals overcome competing priorities
A Dutch study considered how civil servants, mainly municipal housing professionals, work with stakeholders on urban projects. The research looked at the various tensions in the job, such as how to deliver what local people want when the organisation may have different plans.
Though the research was completed in 2020, it remains highly useful in pinpointing both the difficulties for professionals and the ways they overcome tensions to deliver good outcomes.
Wieke Blijleven and Merlijn van Hulst interviewed 73 professionals. They identified a series of tensions inherent in public engagement, including that between local people’s expectations and the formal policies and rules of the organisation. Another is that if people are being consulted, they expect the organisation to commit time and resources – but these are often scarce. Different organisations and departments can have different priorities, and professional knowledge can compete with local knowledge.
One participant in the study noted that if you offer local people a blank canvas, they expect to have that freedom to decide. But often, the organisation has already decided in broad terms what will be built. Others commented that while senior management often embrace public engagement, they may actually be driven more by performance management, budgets and schedules.
How the participants dealt with tensions in public engagement was often constructive. The first technique found was bias in favour of the stakeholders. The civil servants were found to invest more of their time in working on citizen-led initiatives, helping to overcome difficulties and perhaps bending the formal rules to achieve what stakeholders wanted. One participant involved in building homes said: “So as a project manager, you need to feel allowed to wheel and deal.”
The second main technique was for civil servants to negotiate with their own colleagues, to achieve better outcomes. They would seek shared perspectives. Where colleagues were initially reluctant, they would take them to see the project themselves and speak with local people. In this way, a hybrid solution taking in elements of the stakeholder views and colleagues’ perspectives could be found.
Finally, the civil servants played a key role in aligning resources from inside their organisation and elsewhere. Participants said they found that local people often came up with initiatives that crossed departments or organisations – so they would take on the role of coordinating action and bringing the relevant professionals together.
Encounters with the organisation: How local civil servants experience and handle tensions in public engagement https://bit.ly/3sRrKdR
Bridging the divide with new social housing
A paper on social housing in South Africa points to the value it can have in reducing inequalities and promoting better integration of communities.
Ivan Turok, Andreas Scheba and Justin Visagie chart the history of social housing policy since the ending of apartheid. South Africa has a twofold aim for social housing. First, the purpose is to improve the life chances of poor black communities. Second, the aim is to integrate divided communities by reviving run down inner city areas.
However, the political pressure to tackle the acute and widespread housing needs led to many thousands of basic homes being built in sprawling locations that lacked services and were often far away from job opportunities. These initial homes were for ownership but later, social housing organisations (SHOs) began to build for rent – albeit very slowly. From the 2000s the SHOs were able to build more homes, but continued to miss targets.
The research looks in particular at location of the new housing. The authors argue that while much of the SHO housing initially was built in inner areas, fulfilling the aims of integration, renewal and helping people to move nearer to good work opportunities, this changed over
time. Today, two thirds of the recent and planned schemes are in outer urban areas or on greenfield sites.
The regulatory authority reported that in some cities such as Johannesburg, the ‘restructuring zones’ that dictate where subsidised social housing can be built have been drawn up mainly on the basis of where land is available. They’re too large and not necessarily located correctly to achieve regeneration.
On the other hand, some enterprising SHOs grabbed the opportunity presented by empty office and apartment blocks in the inner areas to buy them cheaply and create decent housing. The move, which allowed many township residents to move to the inner areas, helped rebuild economic confidence.
The authors emphasise the vital role social housing can play in breaking down entrenched segregation and disadvantage. However, they say, central government must take a strong leadership role in clarifying policy. Municipalities must also line up their spatial planning policies and actions. They should take an inventory of empty buildings that SHOs could use, and coordinate action with SHOs to ensure developments are well serviced and in the right locations.
Can social housing help to integrate divided cities? https://bit.ly/3Bcz2ML
What’s driving up rent arrears in social housing?
A study by Demos, funded by Hyde, worked with social housing residents to understand the picture with rising rent arrears. Researchers Maiyoraa Jeyabraba and Ben Glover found that residents in their study were spending about a third of their income on housing.
The residents’ low and fluctuating incomes, worsened by the Covid pandemic, were the main factor in rent arrears. Essentially, they were struggling to make ends meet, and there was no evidence of reckless spending. An issue within this was insecure employment, which meant people didn’t have a predictable income. Some were in the gig economy, some on zero-hours contracts.
A second factor in rent arrears was the benefit system, and particularly the features of universal credit. The five-week wait before people receive their first payment, monthly payments and payment of the housing benefit element to claimants all raised the risk of arrears. Combined with cuts to disability benefits, the bedroom tax and capping, this brought financial stress to many.
Finally, the researchers found that unexpected and large costs could tip people into arrears. A fridge breakdown, a child needing over-thecounter medicine, funeral expenses and being the victim of fraud were all reported as having a serious impact on people with low incomes.
Getting by
The Demos team asked participants to keep diaries of their spending and other issues. Some showed signs of depression and demotivation because of their financial situation. They reported high stress over their debt and arrears. In a focus group, some described how their juggled and prioritised which debts to pay back first.
Borrowing was used by almost all to get through in the short term. Focus group participants were employed and could use banks and credit cards. But some of the diarists were self employed, in unstable employment or had poor credit histories. They had to resort to ‘subprime’ loans, relatives and friends for help.
Easing the problems
Demos makes a series of recommendations to ease the problems of tenants in arrears.
For those already in arrears:
For the government 1. Introduce a dedicated ‘arrears loan’ scheme to expand the new vulnerable tenants fund.
For housing associations 2. Ensure flexible rent payment schemes are widely and consistently available, to enable tenants to mix under and overpayment across a period of time and to establish a ‘pay as much as you can’ approach for those unable to make a full rental payment. 3. Engage in proactive outreach and develop web portals, apps and other measures to improve communication and trust, encouraging tenants to come to their housing officers for help before missing rent payments.
To prevent arrears:
For the government 4. We support widely-made calls to reduce the five-week universal credit (UC) delay and issue more alternative payment arrangements.
For housing associations 5. Build financial resilience by developing a network of warm referrals to a wide range of help and advice services and encourage savings and contribution behaviours through fintech. 6. Partner with credit unions to enable tenants to avail of membership benefits, including lowcost loans and savings products. For statutory and voluntary mental health support services 7. Engage with social landlords to ensure tenants are offered access to mental health support when struggling financially, and to ensure landlords are aware of mental health crises occurring within their tenant population to enable rent flexibility to be put in place, should it be needed.
The bottom line: An investigation of rent arrears in social housing Demos https://demos.co.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2022/02/The-Bottom-Line.pdf
Housing conference returns to Sheffield
The Housing Studies Association annual conference returns to Sheffield this year for a mix of in-person and online sessions. Online sessions will start on 28 March for two weeks and face-to-face events from 4 to 6 April.
This year’s theme is Disruption and innovation in housing: working across boundaries in theory, research, and practice. The event offers an opportunity to engage in broader discussions including: • The approaches to conceptualising ‘home’ • The relationship between our housing and neighbourhoods, and our physical and psychological health • Housing activism and politics • Intersectional inequalities in access to safe and secure housing • Housing economics • Global and cross-sectional responses to housing crises • Housing, migration and communities • The management and governance of housing providers • Urban change, and dynamics in housing systems • Fuel poverty and climate change • The design and quality of residential buildings • Homelessness, housing and welfare policy.
Full details from the HSA website https://www. housing-studies-association.org/pages/2022conference
JOIN NOW!
The Housing Studies Association (HSA) is a UK-wide membership organisation which brings together researchers, practitioners and professionals to promote the study of housing. HSA runs a programme of events including our annual conference and our public lecture on housingrelated themes. The Association also offers: • Events grant scheme enabling members to disseminate and discuss their work, • Seminar Series grant competition • Conference bursaries to early career and/or nonwaged housing researchers and practitioners • The prestigious annual Valerie Karn prize for best paper by an early career housing researcher.
Become a member from just £25 a year and access these benefits plus reduced rates to our events. See www.housing-studies-association.org
Follow us on twitter @HSA_UK.
Evidence newsletter editor: Dr Janis Bright www.hqnetwork.co.uk email: evidence@hqnetwork.co.uk follow us on twitter @hqn_news
THE PILLARS OF PROFESSIONALISM
The Social Housing White Paper Professionalisation Review is a chance for government to examine the qualifications and training that exist for social housing professionals – and look at what more can be done to prevent the culture that led to the tragedy at Grenfell Tower. But what makes the perfect housing professional?
Not being listened to or treated with respect was the experience of Grenfell Tower residents before the fire that destroyed their homes. Unfortunately, while some progress has been made, the social housing sector has been found wanting in this area in recent times.
It’s one of the major strands of the government’s Professionalisation Review, which is seeking to revamp the way housing professionals are trained and qualified to ensure these characteristics aren’t still present in the sector ten years from now. Many housing providers would say they engage with residents, have engagement policies and even codesign with residents. But many residents would say providers and local authorities do nothing more than pay lip service to the idea, complaining of residents being “handpicked” to simply nod through policies and tick a box.
HQN Trainer, Michael Guest, is an expert on resident engagement and sees plenty of examples of good and bad practice.
He says: “If the provider is falling short it’s often because of a lack of leadership. Leaders, i.e. boards, councillors or senior leadership teams, need to get a hold of this and give a clear message and expect arrangements to support. This links with the need to embed engagement in the culture. “Another obstacle may be practicalities, such as distances residents need to travel to engage. We’ve learned a lot about the possibilities of remote working in the last two years. Virtual meetings, SharePoint, use of polls…we can build on these.
“Operational staff can sometimes not give proper priority with so many day-today pressures on. This brings us back to leadership again.
“But consider the two I’s: implementation and impact. Engagement can fall down because of failure to effectively implement outcomes, such as from scrutiny. Monitoring by all involved, governance, management and engaged residents is important here. Then, sometimes a failure to measure the impact of engagement. Demonstrating the difference it makes — the proof of the pudding!”
Since the rise of resident campaigning on social media over housing issues, you don’t need to be online for long before seeing posts about a landlord not responding to resident concerns, leaving residents in poor conditions, or examples of staff treating
residents in an unacceptable way.
Regular reporting from the Housing Ombudsman and from MPs themselves show that complaints in the social housing sector are taking too long, or sometimes ignored completely. This is another way the Professionalisation Review is hoping to have an impact.
And while the Ombudsman has come up with plenty of pointers in this area, such as clear policies and accountability across the organisation, complaints still seems to be something the sector is struggling with.
HQN Trainer Caroline Bradley, who delivers complaints training to hundreds of housing professionals every year, explains how she believes housing professionals can provide an effective complaints response: “People who complain want to be heard, understood, and have the thing that’s gone wrong put right. Effective complaint responses focus on those needs.
“They start with an acknowledgement, an apology and the outcome. Don’t make stressed people wade through procedural detail to get to the information they most want. Focus on their needs and give them a summary of the resolution at the beginning of the letter.
“Good replies deliver information in a clear and human style. Your task is to create understanding and rebuild trust between your organisation and your customer, so don’t clutter up replies with overly formal language and technical terms.
“Be as human and helpful when you write as you would be on the phone or face to face. Also, breaking your letter into clearly headed sections will help people to navigate through it and get to the information they need.”
The other major strand the Professionalisation Review is looking at is the standard of housing and how effectively it’s inspected. Throughout the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, it’s been shown how incredibly lacking this has been – from fire risk assessors to asset management officers.
The pictures that have flooded Twitter since the ITV News investigation into social housing conditions shows plenty are still not living in good quality homes.
Just recently, City Hall released figures showing that 15% of London’s social homes didn’t meet decent standards, with many living in damp, mouldy, rodent-infested homes and seemingly little care from the provider to put this right.
While many of the issues come down to poor housing management, a lack of inspection and below par asset management within organisations, a significant portion of the cases also feature contractors.
When a housing association or local authority has put its trust in a contractor, it’d surely not expect issues such as these to arise. One contractor that works within the
sector, United Living Group, details how they believe contractors should be working with housing providers.
Kamal Shergill, Group HR Director, United Living, says: “We believe the best talent in our industry is made, not born. We recruit people who share our values and ambition, and we invest in them.
“The upcoming generation is motivated by the idea of being part of something meaningful as much as by financial reward, and by the prospect of regular upskilling and new challenges as much as by job security. They want to be part of the conversation, and to feel valued as members of a team.”
But on the other side of the debate, many housing officers would say they’re doing all they can, and far more.
There’s no doubt that housing officer and frontline staff roles have got more difficult in recent years. Where other services have been withdrawn and where some services never existed, housing professionals have had to play a leading role in combating domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental health issues, homelessness, increasing poverty, neighbourhood policing and much more.
Do these added pressures mean that frontline housing professionals are no longer able to focus on the basics? Feedback from HQN’s Housing Management Network would suggest so, with teams reporting that they’re increasingly finding themselves filling the gaps left by other services and having to deal with increasingly complex cases – sometimes without the necessary skills, training or support.
Another counterpoint many frontline housing professionals could use is the role of key performance indicators (KPIs).
Is housing always measuring the right things? In a bid to close complaints quickly, or to hit a certain timescale on a repair, is the sector setting itself up to fail and for shoddy work to be done?
Positive KPIs were something championed by our Housing’s Next Generation in a collaborative project last year.
It was lamented that community engagement and resident involvement wasn’t always seen as “core business”, with many providers cutting these roles when the rent cut came in. There was also much discussion about the void turnaround KPI, with many believing speed over quality and planning ahead led to a glut of problems.
There are, of course, other wider potential explanations for some of these issues, many of which are nothing to do with the sector. Lots of small or medium builders/ maintenance firms closed down, meaning
the pool of locally-trusted contractors is smaller and quality could be compromised.
Another is the lack of government grant for anything other than new build housing, much of which doesn’t cover the cost of full development. Maybe with the new Decent Homes Standard, this could be about to change.
There are other issues too: councils being stripped of skills, Brexit and, most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic.
If we’re to put these outside forces to one side, how does the sector make sure it’s got the perfect housing professionals? Lead Associate for the HQN Learning and Organisational Development Hub, Jane Atherton, sets out the ways she believes improvements can be made.
Firstly, she says it starts with an effective induction: “We need to expect that for housing colleagues to be successful that they’re inducted into a role (as a basic) and are well trained in their organisation’s policies, processes and systems.”
From there, on a more personal level she says she’d want to see “a curiosity to learn and understand the bigger picture and the world outside their own role, team and
organisation”. On top of this, Atherton places an importance on having “political, economic, societal, technological and legal” awareness and an idea about how their own work might need to adapt, shift or evolve. But she places a lot more emphasis on personal characteristics. Having emotional intelligence, Atherton explains, is key for housing professionals. This manifests itself in having a “positive sense of self-worth”, resilience for changing situations, having empathy for others, “The upcoming and having good generation is motivated communication skills. She says the by the idea of being empathy and part of something communication meaningful as much as skills are particularly important in “being by financial reward” able to understand situations from another person’s perspective” and “being able to verbally explain policies and procedures and make themselves clear, as well as being able to actively listen to others and understand fully what they’re communicating”. She goes on to explain that these then feed into two other key personality traits: having respect and genuine care. She says it’s vital that housing professionals respect residents, something the White Paper was also keen to point out. She believes frontline officers can do this by
“treating people with courtesy and respect by following up, taking ownership and accountability for resolving problems, making things happen and seeing things through”.
On a professional level, she says continuous development is key – whether this is through on-the-job learning or professional qualifications.
She says, “there’s a need for and benefits to developing our knowledge, skills and abilities,” and that “none of us are the finished article”.
And feeding into that is the ability to work collaboratively. Whether that’s with residents, colleagues or outside partners, Atherton says this is key to ensuring the sector can “overcome barriers and solve problems”.
And finally, on the professional front, there are two elements that are set from the organisation but need to be followed through by the person employed, which are equality, diversity and inclusion appreciation and having the ability to “demonstrate the values and behaviour of the organisation”.
These allow housing professionals to have a greater understanding of the people they’re working for and with, which in turn gives them more awareness of some of the key issues being faced, Atherton says.
Creating the perfect housing professional to deal with the myriad of problems that exist within the sector is no overnight job, but it’s possible.
More values-led recruitment can certainly close the gap on the respect, understanding and empathy side. And better training and professional development programmes can help on the skillset side.
Then there’s the culture, target setting and willingness to change from the board, executive team and managers within the organisation. The hope would be that these things don’t have to change because regulation forces the sector to do so, but rather that there’s a desire to do so from a moral point of view.
As Atherton said: “None of us are the finished article.” The time for voluntary improvement is now, before it becomes business critical.
THE YOUTHFUL APPROACH TO HOUSING
There’s growing criticism of the ‘typical’ board of older white men, of the housing association or council that doesn’t represent the community it operates in, and engagement not being strong enough to make the decision-making process more diverse. Some organisations are looking to change this. We take a look at how.
The Social Housing White Paper is clear on the need for housing providers and local authorities to listen, have empathy and respect residents.
Comments from government since have been clear that it partly sees it as a culture issue. One way that some are looking to bridge the divide between themselves and residents is through improved engagement with younger people.
A study by the Scottish Government found that having young people more involved in decision making lead to a greater sense of inclusion, as well as creating reciprocal trust, respect and validation.
One organisation that’s put some of these principles into action is Phoenix Community Housing.
The resident-centred organisation created the Phoenix Youth Council, with the aim to get more young people involved in the decision-making process and give them a voice in their community.
CEO at Phoenix, Jim Ripley, said it was important to have these voices “influencing our services and the future decisions we make”.
He added: “We want the Youth Council to empower our young people to challenge us to think differently, give the board a different perspective, and help shape policies and events to make a difference in how we operate now and in the future.”
The Youth Council’s first meeting saw members discuss a variety of issues, including safer communities, cleaner air and more opportunities for the younger generation in the area.
They’ll meet four times a year and play an “active part in shaping policies and making recommendations” which feed into the board at Phoenix.
Nicole Lawrence, Phoenix Youth Council member, said: “I joined the Youth Council so that I can make sure that all residents are heard. I hope that using my voice will show other young people that they too can make a difference and that their voice matters.
“Through having our say, we’re making it more accessible for other young people to come forward and shape decisions.” Another member of the Youth Council,
Aya Rusenova, said the group was important because “we’re not the future, we’re the now”. And while the creation of a youth council involves young people in decision making straight away, one organisation is sewing the seeds of participation even earlier. Positive Footprints partner with a whole host of housing associations to get young people into the world of housing from a primary school age. Facilitating sessions where young people can learn about a career in housing and what a housing association does, Positive
Footprints gives children that platform to get further involved when they get older. Backed by organisations such as Regenda,
Leeds and Yorkshire Housing, Gentoo and others, the sessions will collectively impact over 15,000 children this year and generate nearly £2m in social value. One example of the impact it can have was
six-year-old Ella being given the opportunity to be ‘CEO for the day’ at Sovini. She joined
Sovini’s CEO, Roy Williams, and got insight into how the organisation is run. Of the whole Positive Footprints experience, Ella said: “As a class, we learnt about different jobs, ones we didn’t even know existed, and the qualifications in the future. “We wrote a CV and covering letter and learnt all about our skills. The whole experience helped me grow in confidence and I think it helped me get into my high school.” Tim Craven, Social Investment Manager at
Wakefield and District Housing, said of the
programme: “It’s easy to overlook aspects of development, such as your first experience learning about the world of work.
“We invested in the Raising Aspirations programme to ensure that children are introduced to opportunities that will be open to them as they grow up, helping to create and sustain confident communities.”
And for Positive Footprints, that’s another huge positive. It’s not just about engaging and having children and young people getting to learn and be a voice in the community, there are employment and training opportunities there too.
Many in the sector use the phrase ‘fell into housing’ but programmes like this do their best to inspire young people to become passionate about the sector and join it for all the right reasons.
Another place many young people, and those from diverse backgrounds, feel distant from is the boardroom.
The board shapes the direction of the organisation, shows the strategic path it is going to take and, in turn, sets the values and KPIs.
And so for a board to be one dimensional, overly business focused instead of community focused, too old rather than featuring a range of ages, or too white rather
than a mix of ethnicities and backgrounds representative of the community, it’s perhaps no wonder that most residents, and even staff, feel a disconnect from the boardroom.
One organisation doing something about it is Platform Housing Group. They’ve appointed several new trainee board members to “increase diversity in housing boards of the future”.
More than 100 applications were received for the positions. The successful candidates all come from diverse backgrounds with a real desire to increase their knowledge and improve their skills.
One of the trainee board members is Kaeden Bunting, a housing association tenant.
He says his lived experience provides him with a “unique insight into social housing” and now he will be looking to use that insight when in the boardroom.
As a junior board member, Kaeden sets out what he wants to achieve in the role: “I’m passionate about improving the lives of others and this position will allow me to utilise my social housing experience to promote change.
“Through my apprenticeship knowledge and experience, I aim to support Platform with the promotion of its apprenticeship opportunities and its goal of 10% of the workforce being on an apprenticeship by 2025.”
This lived experience perspective is exactly why Michelle Cowan joined the programme.
She explains: “I applied to become a trainee board member after spending years working with families living in one of the most deprived areas of Birmingham.
“I act as a voice to many who feel that they have no voice and where their housing concerns frequently
2 1 Photos:
1 & 3 - Phoenix Youth Council
2 - Ella with Sovini Group CEO, Roy Williams
go unheard or unresolved.
“I will use my knowledge in respect of this to help tailor the delivery of the corporate strategy to ensure that existing and future platform housing tenants have good-quality affordable housing that caters to modern living and improving the lived experience of those whom it serves.”
And it’s from that different perspective and drive that Platform hopes to get most benefit.
Clare Durnin, Executive Director of Corporate Resources at Platform, says she has been “completely blown away” by the programme to date.
She adds: “Whilst we were recruiting for new board members during 2020, we realised that although there were some fantastic, talented candidates out there, there was a clear lack of diversity amongst them.
“We also recognised that the trainees would ask questions and bring different perspectives to the work we’re doing now – which was very important to us as we strive to reflect a range of thoughts and opinions on the decisions our board and executive make.”
Edd Hall, another junior board member, and who’s also a maintenance supervisor, says he joined to “make a difference” and says he wants to see the organisation “making the most of modern methods of construction, utilising renewable energy solutions, working to reduce fuel poverty and be building homes with communities, businesses and local people at the heart of its developments”.
While this may be on the agenda of the board already, the passion from Edd, Michelle and Kaeden for this forwardthinking way of working can only benefit Platform as it moves forwards. Their thoughts are also the same as those that are residents of the future, and to be able to tap into that and align the organisation to those ideals is only going to be beneficial as the sector restores trust.
Remi Turton, another junior board member on the programme, says her different perspective will help both her and the organisation moving forward.
She says: “I’d previously considered board roles as something you do towards the end of your career but have now discovered a whole new career path that can run parallel to my executive aspirations.
“I anticipate that my life experiences as a young ethnic woman, professional skills and cognisance of youth trends will be valuable, fresh and vital and provide a different viewpoint to the board.”
By no means will changes such as trainee boards solve the problems with culture overnight, nor will it be the only thing an organisation should do to drive change, but what the four trainee board members from Platform show is that when you invest in different perspectives and experiences, you get a richer overall picture.
Other engagements with young people, such as the Youth Council and Positive Footprints, are also key in establishing trust, generating feelings of inclusivity and much more. Expect these organisations to be receiving the most praise for their engagement in the years to come.
THE FUTURE VOICE OF HOUSING
HQN is delighted to announce the return of Housing’s Next Generation – the annual competition designed to showcase and celebrate the sector’s brightest young talent.
You can enter your young housing professionals into the competition here.
2022 Housing’s Next Generation judges:
Tanisha Rigby, Housing Next Generation 2021 finalist Olu Olanrewaju, Senior Consultant
Tony Stacey, CEO, South Yorkshire Housing Association Sheron Carter, former housing association CEO
Alistair McIntosh, HQN CEO
Closing date for nominations
Judging panel shortlists the top 20 based on the nominations The 20 submit a written response to one of several topical questions
Judges select ten entrants to go forward into the semi-final
Entries for the 2022 competition are open and we’re calling on housing associations, local authorities, ALMOs and other relevant organisations to get involved.
Housing’s Next Generation is about giving young housing professionals a voice – to share their thoughts and ideas and help shape the future direction of the sector.
We’re specifically looking for people from a diverse range of backgrounds who can bring fresh thinking to the challenges faced by housing organisations, our communities and the residents we serve. 2020’s HNG winner, Kath Menzies of Fife Housing Group, said: “The whole experience has pushed me out of my comfort zone and inspired me to try and do more, with the support of Link Housing Association.
“I would encourage any young aspirational leaders to get involved – the whole experience was beneficial for me.”
Finalist Halisha Kaur, of GreenSquareAccord, added: “I have genuinely been honoured to have the opportunities to share my ideas and my passion for the sector.” We’re looking for organisations to nominate young housing professionals who: • Show leadership potential whether through individual or team tasks • Are passionate about delivering excellent service to residents • Have a commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion • Want to make improvements to the social housing sector • Are ready to take the next step in their careers and prove themselves in front of the sector Why should you nominate someone for Housing’s Next Generation? • Personal development – to help develop analytical, written and presentation skills • Confidence – to gain the confidence to be a leader and express ideas • Opportunity – previous winners and finalists have gone on to become directors and gain wider recognition across the sector • Networking – to be part of a growing network of young housing professionals through our Next Generation Hub • Exposure – to experience different aspects of housing, helping prepare for future challenges Anyone nominated for the competition will automatically be invited to our Next Generation Hub, a new exciting group of young housing professionals in the sector that meet regularly to network, hear from key speakers and benefit from peer-to-peer support. The group also get discounts on all HQN events and training.
Semi-finalists present one idea for improving the sector – followed by a judges Q&A
The final five take part in a live session at HQN’s annual conference in July. The audience gets to vote for the winner
The prizes:
A year’s free membership of Housing Quality Network, access to exclusive briefings and member content, best practice groups, exposure to the wider sector through weekly updates and much more
