At a time when the housing crisis in Britain has been at the centre of significant media attention – as well as an ongoing focus on topics such as homelessness and poverty – the UK housing sector has stood at the forefront of positive action. Whilst often referred to as the ‘hidden sector’, housing associations across the country make a huge difference to the lives of those most in need.
Over the past year, we’ve had the opportunity to speak to a number of key figures within the housing sector for a series of podcasts, supported by our partners at the National Housing Federation.
As part of a 30-year career in the housing sector, David Orr was, until very recently, Chief Executive at the National Housing Federation. Shortly before retiring, David sat down with us to look back on his career, what inspired him and why he’d recommend the housing sector to young people looking for a rewarding career.
Geraldine Howley is Chief Executive of Incommunities, a housing association in Yorkshire. Geraldine was good enough to meet with us to tell us about the work that Incommunities are doing in Yorkshire. Having already invested £400m in modernising and building homes, Incommunities are now looking at new ways that they can serve their local residents and the wider housing sector. They recognise the role that research and data has to play in providing housing that actually reflects the needs of their communities.
Angela is Chief Executive at SHAL Housing in Somerset and we were thrilled to get the opportunity to talk to her about the work they’re doing for their local communities. Angela told us about how a chance encounter when volunteering at a homeless shelter when she was 19 sparked her passion for helping underprivileged people. This was the start of her journey in housing and has seen her work in a range of organisations that seek to help people that need it most.
We hope that you enjoyed this podcast series. As our partnership with the National Housing Federation, we’ll be hosting a breakout session at the HR in Housing conference on Wednesday 24th April. Find out more about our session ‘What’s your story? Developing, defining and delivering your employee value proposition,’ covered in a blog we recently wrote for National Housing Federation here.