Friday 12 December 2014

#HousingDay - Sharing your stories

This year's #HousingDay reached a potential audience of seven million people.

#HousingDay is a 24 hour campaign across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media networks. This year’s focus was to promote the creation of new and untold housing stories shared under the #HousingDay hashtag.

The day aimed to tackle negative portrayals of those who live in council, social or affordable housing, as well as those on benefits through programmes like ‘Benefits Street’. #HousingDay 2014 was our chance to challenge these negative perceptions and to present an alternative view of how social housing supports and enables people to fulfil ambitions and transform their lives for the better. We will only be able to compile a compelling housing narrative if we ensure that housing organisations engage with their tenants and customers.

This year’s event received widespread coverage on social media and was backed by celebrities including the Rev Richard Coles, Armando Iannucci and Rufus Hound. It was also supported by MPs such as Brandon Lewis, Emma Reynolds, Natalie Bennett and Tim Farron. Community Housing Cymru, the National Housing Federation, the Chartered Institute of Housing and the National Federation of ALMOs also backed the campaign.

According to TweetReach, #HousingDay topped 30,000 tweets - averaging 1,248 tweets an hour - with an overall reach of seven million and 6,000 contributions. The results are up significantly on 2013 when there were 10,000 tweets, 2,600 contributors and a reach of 1.8 million.

We also ran a #HousingDay roadshow which was a whistle-stop tour of six housing associations all over the UK in just two days. John Popham, a social media advocate and consultant, visited the six organisations to run a brief session on the importance of storytelling in order to give them the tools to publicise their great stories.

#HousingDay also commissioned ‘outside in’ research on perception by the GB public with Ipsos Mori. This research makes for interesting reading and discussion, and proves that positivity towards the value of social housing is higher than expected in the UK with 61% voting that the negative stereotype of the people that live in social housing is unfair. It also shows that #HousingDay provides an opportunity to facilitate the conversation we need to have with policy makers, the media and the public.

#HousingDay's creator Adrian Capon, who works for Yorkshire Housing, said: “This was a fabulous effort by all those who took part. I really can’t thank you enough for the efforts you have put in. But please, we must keep creating and sharing our tenant stories. We have a long way to go to tackle stigma and to end the housing crisis. The success of this day is totally down to you.”

Following the day, there is a #HousingDay 'best story' competition. We’re appealing to all social landlords, housing professionals and tenants who took part to share their stories with the @HousingDay Twitter handle. The most compelling stories will be used as part of a TV-style documentary. Finally, an impact survey is available to provide your HousingDay feedback on www.surveymonkey.com/s/HousingDayImpact2014.

You can read the full research report here.

Thanks for your support.


Adrian Capon @AdeCapon
Yorkshire Housing

Tuesday 2 December 2014

Measuring the economic impact of Welsh housing associations

Since 2008 the big focus has been on the ‘global economic crisis’, the ‘banking crisis’, the ‘Eurozone crisis’ et al and even the latest G20 forum is concerned about the problems and challenges still facing the global economic community. That’s the big picture - a picture of recession, austerity and contraction. But at a local level here in Wales, there are some successes to consider. One of those is highlighted in the Wales Economy Research Unit’s report, at Cardiff University, commissioned by Community Housing Cymru. In the time since ‘the crisis’, housing associations in Wales have added 63,000 new houses – an increase of 66%. Impressive figures, but the story which underpins these figures is important too. And let’s remember that 63,000 buildings of ‘bricks and mortar’ means 63,000 new homes. Homes where people feel safe and secure and can begin to plan their futures with confidence.

Let’s unpack the figures a little more:

In 2013/14, housing associations in Wales spent 91 pence per day for every person in Wales. While that is less than a pint of beer and not even half a large cappuccino, the sector has made that 91 pence go a long way. The money that has been spent directly by Welsh housing associations has generated another 91p per person per day indirectly, because every penny spent is income for somebody else. Housing associations pay a painter to redecorate a house. The painter buys paint and pays wages. The person receiving the wages buys food. This is the multiplier effect, and this year the housing association sector has had a combined economic impact of £2bn, 81% of which has stayed in Wales.

That underpins 8,400 full time equivalent jobs in Wales and a further 12,950 jobs supported in the economy. Looking at Wales as a whole, this equates to almost 1 in 70 people. Therefore 1 in 70 of those employed in Wales have a job that is, in one way or another, supported by the housing association sector. Investment in housing has clear wider benefits, and the challenge for housing associations is to continue to increase that 91p per person per day to build even more homes and create even more jobs across Wales. They seem to be doing a pretty good job.

You can read the WERU report here.


Christopher Parry, Senior Lecturer, Banking & Finance
Cardiff School of Management, Cardiff Metropolitan University