The 7 findings on the consultation into Stigma and Social Housing in England

In July 2021 I caught up with Mercy Denedo & Amanze Ejiogu following their published report on “Stigma and Social Housing in England”, it was one of those moments that caught me by surprise, it hadn't come up in my usual networking and sectoral listening. I wanted to offer any wind for its sails, so I pushed it around my network and put Mercy and Amanze in touch with Jenny and Anne-Marie at Altair Ltd .

The report noted, among other things, that challenging stigma needs a collective and concerted effort by stakeholders. With this in mind, Mercy and Amanze conducted a broad consultation, against seven questions and reported on 7 September 2022. The full report on the consultation is here.

I've extracted the seven findings of the consultation responses and from a personal perspective, developed a few here but by and large, these are the 7 findings.

What should the purpose of social housing be?

Social housing should provide affordable and decent standard accommodation for all who choose to live in social housing. it shouldn't come with a broad, negative, label. Social housing should exist in a range of locations and housing types to meet different needs and preferences. In addition, social housing should contribute to the creation of sustainable communities. It should also be there to offer secure tenancies to those on low incomes, seeking work, on benefits, homeless, migrants, unable to afford market rents.

Residualization of social housing, and the shortage of social housing caused by depletion of social housing stock through the Right to Buy, and a lack of investment in building social housing are key drivers of social housing stigma. In England, social housing is often associated or perceived as, poor quality housing, having high crime rates, and concentrating poverty. These associations can result in social housing being seen as a place of last resort. To make matters worse, there is a lack of understanding of the diversity of social housing tenants. Social housing tenants are not a homogenous group, they come from all walks of life and socio-economic backgrounds.

There is a need to challenge the negative perceptions and stereotypes of social housing and social housing tenants. One way of doing this is through education and awareness-raising campaigns that highlight the positive aspects of social housing and dispel the myths about social housing.

Should access to affordable housing be recognized as a fundamental human right and who should have access to it?

Affordable housing should be regarded as a fundamental right and social housing should be available to all households who cannot afford to buy, including all those squeezed into the private rental sectors who cannot afford their rentals or are struggling with the rising cost of living.

According to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing, “the progressive realization of the right to housing should be a central priority for all States”. There is a growing consensus that access to affordable housing should be recognized as a human right. The United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution 64/292.

The government is focused on ‘affordable’ home ownership schemes and has paid little or no attention to investing in social housing and affordable rental accommodation.

The focus on home ownership portrays renting and social housing as inferior tenures to home ownership and drives social housing stigma. The government’s lack of investment in social housing has led to a severe shortage of affordable rental accommodation and has forced many low-income earners and people on fixed incomes, such as pensioners, into homelessness or precarious housing situations. A human rights-based approach to housing would shift the focus from home ownership to ensuring that everyone has a right to adequate housing, regardless of their income or tenure. This would entail the government investing in social housing and increasing the availability of affordable rental accommodation, so that everyone has a safe and secure place to call home.

How can we encourage politicians to limit/stop their use of stigmatizing language and rhetoric in relation to social housing?

Politicians use stigmatizing language in relation to social housing to justify their housing and welfare policies. This language suggests that those who live in social housing are somehow second-class citizens, undeserving of the same rights and protections as those who own their homes. This rhetoric is used to justify policies that cut funding for social housing, or that make it more difficult for people to access affordable housing.

To stop this, politicians should be encouraged to develop a better understanding of social housing and its purpose. Stakeholders should also collaborate to challenge the use of such stigmatizing language by politicians. Only then can we hope to create a more inclusive society where everyone has a right to a safe and affordable home.

How can we encourage the media to be more balanced and fairer in their reporting of social housing?

The negative media narrative is mostly driven by the stigmatizing political rhetoric on social housing. In order to change this, we need to encourage the media to be more balanced and fair in their reporting of social housing. This can be done by:

1) Encouraging them to use accurate and non-stigmatizing language when referring to social housing;

2) Challenging them when they use stigmatising language.

If the political rhetoric is addressed, it would be easier to address the media narrative. Media narrative can be improved by the adoption of guidelines such as the Fair Press for Tenants’ Guide produced by the Stop Social Housing Stigma campaign, as well as by enhanced regulatory attention and promoting positive stories of social housing by stakeholders.

How can we create a stronger and more effective tenant voice at the local and national levels?

The spread and intensity of stigma in social housing was linked to the absence of a strong tenant voice, which implies that political and media narratives are left unchallenged by tenants because of the absence of it. There is also no doubt that the Government’s approach to social housing and welfare reforms has been a key driver of stigma and negative perceptions. In order to change these narratives, it is essential to have a strong tenant voice that can challenge the status quo and offer an alternative perspective.

There is a need for a strong tenants’ voice at national, regional and local levels. This voice needs to be credible and have the legitimacy that comes with being democratically elected by tenants. The national Social Housing Quality Resident Panel should be a unifying force for social housing tenants, providing them with a platform to challenge the status quo, share good practice and offer an alternative perspective. In order to be effective, the organisation must have a strong membership base.

How can we make social housing providers more accountable to tenants?

Embedding tenants’ voices in organizational culture would be beneficial for housing providers in understanding the lived experience of their tenants, in challenging the stigma experienced by their tenants emerging from their interactions with their housing providers and in promoting a co-designed culture for service deliveries.

The current regulatory framework is ineffective in facilitating an accountability regime which makes landlords accountable to tenants. As a result of this and other structural issues in the social housing sector, there is a power imbalance between landlords and tenants. The regulatory system needs to be redesigned to put the interests of tenants at the heart of regulation. Also, there needs to be more transparency from landlords to provide tenants with the information needed to hold landlords to account.

There is a need for more research on the impact of social housing and its role in promoting social cohesion. Social housing can be an important tool in promoting social cohesion, but there is little empirical evidence to support this claim. More research is needed to understand how social housing can be used to promote social cohesion and integration.

How can we build a sustainable and inclusive social housing system devoid of stigma?

Building a sustainable and inclusive social housing system devoid of stigma requires a combination of measures. Most of these have been articulated in answering the previous questions, combined with the following:

1. Social housing tenants taking pride in their homes to challenge anti-social behaviours and stigma associated with living in social housing.

2. A shift in the perception of social housing from being a last resort to being an aspirational choice for all.

3. Improved regulation and improved landlord-tenant relationships.

4. Encouraging social mixing through design and neighbourhood planning.

5. Supporting residents to access education, employment and other opportunities.

6. Promoting social housing as an asset for communities and the economy, rather than a burden.

7. Addressing the root causes of poverty and homelessness, such as low incomes, insecure employment and a lack of affordable housing.

8. Encouraging innovation in the design and delivery of social housing.

9. Supporting the growth of community-led housing initiatives.

10. Improving data collection and research on social housing to inform policymaking.

Report recommendations

The report provides recommendations against each of the findings, I'll summarise these next Monday.

Credits

Denedo, M. and Ejiogu, A. (2022). Stigma and Social Housing in England: Feedback on the consultation responses.