Our new apartments near Hexham
We found that social housing is scarce, with only 6,463 more social homes delivered last year. We heard that despite the positive attributes of social housing, it is looked down upon, the people who live in it stereotyped and stigmatised.
Social housing has been vital to the health and prosperity of our nation, equal only to that of our national health service and education systems, and continues to be so. Social housing is a crucial public asset to be proud of, to invest in, to protect and to maintain, and not something to be devalued or neglected.
We need nothing less than a visionary, transformational change to create a bigger and better social housing sector and strong communities we can all be proud of.
Reverend Dr Mike Long
Chair of the Commission and Minister of Notting Hill Methodist Church
There remains big demand for socially rented supported housing, and more than ever the quality of housing is really important to level the comparison between social and private housing.
A number of years ago I was invited to a meeting to view a development opportunity for housing and retail. There was a piece of land that had been bought, the front of the site was South facing, with the best views over countryside and beyond, and this area was sold for a premium for private executive housing. The rear part of the site had been taken by a well-known retailer, and the land between the retailer and the private housing was being landscaped to make it attractive and unobtrusive.
At the time I developed supported housing for a care company and I wondered why I had been invited to the meeting at all? During the meeting, I was presented with ‘the opportunity’, I was told that ‘…there was some residual land to the rear of the loading yard of the retail unit and as this had little value, and would never be attractive enough for private housing, that it might well be perfect for social or supported housing’.
I walked quickly away from that opportunity however it sadly highlights how some people view social supported housing.
Thankfully a lot has changed and we work with many fine local authorities and care providers, who value supported housing as much as we do, to develop quality supported housing. It is really important to HomeLife that each housing development delivers a quality home for someone. That the design is attractive, and that the housing blends into the street scene and follows the rhythm and pattern of the surrounding streets.
One of our latest housing developments is built in the spot that last year took first place as the happiest place to live in the UK. Our new housing in Northumberland is a perfect example of a great use of building materials so that the property is attractive, and blends in with existing housing.
We agree that social housing is vital to health and we are proud to invest in it. People deserve good quality housing, a home to be proud of, and one that is valued.