Shelter’s Post

The Communities Committee heard this morning that due to a cut of 38.2% in the Capital Budget for 2024/5, only up to 400 new social homes can be started this year. This compares to a target of 2,050 for this year. This reality will only compound the ongoing housing crisis in this society. The ever growing social housing waiting list will continue to lengthen with too many households in need unable to access the affordable housing they need.

ICYMI: If you live in social housing and have an issue with your home or landlord, then you should feel empowered to raise issues so problems in your home get fixed. If you live in social housing, know the steps to complain.

ICYMI: If you live in social housing and have an issue with your home or landlord, then you should feel empowered to raise issues so problems in your home get fixed. If you live in social housing, know the steps to complain.

🔈 Controversial Opinion Alert: Social Housing Must Do Better 🔈 I recently read Neil Goodrich's article, "Your Revolution is a Joke," and it struck a chord with me. Neil makes a compelling case against the appalling practice of letting social housing properties without basic floor coverings. In 2024, it's shocking that 17% of landlords still believe it's acceptable to remove floor coverings from new lets. This decision places undue financial strain on those who can least afford it, forcing many to take loans or dip into their limited savings just to make their homes livable. Here's where the controversy comes in: While Neil claims many housing associations hide behind budget constraints, the reality is that providing basic floor coverings could lead to long-term savings and improved tenant satisfaction. At Uplyfted , we’ve seen firsthand how our modular carpet can transform social housing properties. Not only do they reduce noise complaints and enhance indoor air quality, but they also retain heat, making homes warmer and more energy-efficient. The research is clear: investing in quality flooring can save up to £1983 per property annually. More importantly, it aligns with the supposed mission to improve community wellbeing. So, why isn't every social landlord on board? It's time to put our money where our mouth is and truly deliver on the social purpose we claim to champion. Social housing should be about more than just providing a roof over someone's head; it should be about creating a home. What are your thoughts on this? Are we doing enough to support our most vulnerable tenants, or are we just paying lip service to our values? #SocialHousing #AffordableHousing #TenantSatisfaction #Uplyfted #HousingCrisis #CorporateResponsibility https://lnkd.in/e2XMVGY9

🏚 Housing in U.K. politics has always been a hot topic, and this year isn’t likely to be any different. 🏗 What might be different this election year? We look at the depth of the housing problem and Shelter has stated that six million people are living in poor quality or short-term accommodation. 💡 Plenty of facts and figures have been shared, including the 300,000 homes both main parties believe need to be built to deal with the housing crisis. We discuss what, if anything, might change https://lnkd.in/exenv_ji

Another election, another year of crisis for the housing sector? We discuss what's needed to drive change in the sector

Social Housing is something to be proud of, and we should demand our government to commit to ongoing funding to build and upgrade. What an opportunity we have, to create sustainable homes for future generations. But ignore it, and it'll be lost forever. #UKhousing #SocialHousing #MadeInSocialHousing

So nicely done… so engaging. But why does it work? 👇👇👇 It’s (deceptively) simple storytelling… 3. There’s no obvious hero — there’s lots of them! 2. There’s no obvious beginning, middle or end (BME) — but they are all present! 1. And there’s no happy ending — and that’s its secret weapon… 1. No happy ending? This is a “What next…?” story… and you, the audience, decide what the ending is by what YOU do next. It’s the most compelling “call to action” and it’s what made “Live Aid”, “Children In Need” and every other charity event that uses stories such a success. 2. No beginning, middle or end? The celebrities are a master stroke because with very little dialogue or exposition they short-cut the need for “beginning, middle and end”. The implication is that (in this case) social housing made them who they are, what they’ve achieved and why we recognise them. Without it where would they be? It’s barely articulated and yet implicitly we understand the message. 3. No hero? Every story has a hero, but this one has many. So where are they? Well, it’s not the celebrities and it’s not even Shelter... it’s YOU! In this particular story YOU make the difference. How? Through your reaction to the video. Maybe you recognise yourself as someone who benefited from social housing. But even if you don't, if you start talking about the issue, you share the video, you support or donate the charity, perhaps you write to your MP. Whatever you do, in his story YOU are Luke Skywalker or Dorothy… leading the resistance against evil! So often brands or ads like these make themselves the hero. But those stories don't engage us as effectively. I know I'm not Luke Skywalker. But at 6 years old seeing Star Wars for the first time I so wanted to be. I was waving an imaginary lightsaber all the way home. And so the reason this ad works is because it shares the same storytelling DNA as Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz; of Barbie and Oppenheimer; of Pride and Prejudice and Jaws. It just happens to be about “social housing”. Don’t forget that heroes also have “helpers” and “mentors”. Both have different roles but ultimately both are present to support the hero on their quest. So in this case the celebrities in the Shelter ad are the helpers — they're the R2D2 and C3PO. They're the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. Shelter itself is the wide mentor, like Obi-Wan or Glinda the good witch. If we want to help, that's where we'll go. Of course, the genius of this ad is that its squashed all this magic into only 35 seconds.🤯 Way shorter than it takes to explain it! What appeals to you about this ad? And are there any storytelling analogies that Star Wars can't illustrate..? Follow me for more on #storytelling for business using #video.

Building more social housing IS the answer to the housing crisis and we must ensure these are built sustainably if we are going to also tackle the climate crisis

I was #MadeInSocialHousing. In 1976, my father's business, which made space heaters for shipyards and hangers, went bankrupt due to the oil crisis. My parents lost their bungalow and we ended up living in a very small caravan for six month. Eventually, we got a council house in rural Dorset. It was one of a row of eight semidetached houses built in 1900 originally as accommodation for farm labourers. I lived there from age 5 through to leaving home at 18. Social housing isn't just estates in the middle of big towns or cities. It isn't just needed in towns or cities either. Rural social housing is just as important, especially as in many villages and hamlets, locals are priced out of the market by incomers. People want to stay near their families, friends, their workplaces, and that means we need social housing options everywhere. No one should have to move an hour away from their children's schools because that's the closest social housing option, as recently happened to a friend of mine. We need more social housing to tackle the housing crisis. We also need to end landlordism and second homes. No one should have a second home until everyone has a first home.