Housing 2012: what the future holds for housing

Jim Dennison, Director of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) in Northern Ireland, takes stock and considers what direction the sector needs to go in to deliver better housing outcomes for everyone in Northern Ireland.

The housing system across the UK is not working. For some of us accessing and affording a home is straightforward.  For others it is virtually impossible, a situation that will almost certainly become worse as the impact of changes to housing benefit and welfare reform take hold.  At best,  housing in Northern Ireland is dysfunctional. At worst, we are in housing crisis.

That’s why we’ve made 2012 our Year of Practice and why we are calling on the housing industry to come together to discuss, develop and ultimately deliver solutions to the problems facing the communities with whom we work. It is time for us to start challenging assumptions and planning for a future of long-term changes that will deliver a functioning housing system.

Welfare reform and the introduction of universal credit will require landlords and housing organisations across the UK to rethink their business models and how they support tenants and service users.

The challenges we all face are largely the same:

• securing and sustaining investment in new housing;
• providing support for the most vulnerable in society;
• making the best use of the growing private rented sector; and
• getting the balance between regulation and innovation.

However, the responses that different governments and housing organisations come up with will undoubtedly vary.

This is where we, the professional body for housing, come into our own.  We work best when we use the collective knowledge and experience of our members to effect change.  A role that is more important than ever before.

CIH can help support our sector by promoting and sharing best practice, by creating an environment in which individuals and organisations can learn from each other and by facilitating frank and open discussions about what needs to change and how it can be managed. We don’t profess to have all the answers but we’re fairly sure that (with a membership of over 22,000 housing professionals from the UK, the Republic of Ireland and internationally) someone will, or at least we will be asking the right questions. That’s why I see myself as the Director of CIH in Northern Ireland rather than CIH Northern Ireland – we are all one organisation and that’s where our strength lies.
So what are the priorities for housing in Northern Ireland in 2012?

In early June, DSD Minister Nelson McCausland publicly reaffirmed his commitment to the production of a housing strategy, a strategy which, we hope, will make a meaningful and lasting difference to our housing system.

CIH applauds this commitment and has pledged encouragement and help in producing and delivering the strategy. As the independent and impartial professional body for housing, we will be honest in our views on the strategy when it is produced: we will congratulate government when it is right and we will be firm when we believe it is wrong.
We have been open with minsters in England and we welcomed that fact that housing is now front and centre of policy.  We think that this approach should set the precedent here, particularly given that there is now a recognition that housing is about more than homes:

• it is intrinsic to supporting local economic growth and a strong labour market;
• it can help build sustainable communities;
• it can impact positively on health;
• it can promote human rights and social cohesion; and
• it can empower tenants and residents.

CIH is ambitious and committed to a robust and practical housing strategy in Northern Ireland. We believe the future strategy should: 

• Think big, be ambitious, and push the boundaries.  Why shouldn’t housing be right up there with health and education as one of the most fundamental priorities for government, especially given that it will create outcomes which far transcend housing alone.
• Have a clear vision, that is coherent, measurable and resourced.  The last year has been something of a waiting game for the sector.  What exactly will welfare reform bring?  What will the review of the Housing Executive lead to? What does the future hold for individual housing associations and the industry as a whole?
• Be people-centred.  The bottom line is that housing is about people and communities so let’s ensure that they are at the heart of this strategy;
• Focus on different housing options as circumstances, need and demands change and we need a functioning housing system that is responsive and fair;
• Have a holistic approach in how we support and sustain communities.  That means mixed-tenure, mixed-income, mixed-religion, mixed-race, mixed-age, mixed-ability and mixed-use housing.

At CIH, we are realistic enough to know that there is not an unlimited amount  of public funding. We know how difficult it is to lever additional monies with current market forces. However, we should all bear in mind that the economic cycle is not dead.  The market will continue to evolve and we need the housing strategy to be clear on our approach when it does.

The new housing strategy is the opportunity to put an end to uncertainty and provide a clear sense of direction for everyone working in the housing industry, tenants and communities. 

Supporting the development of the right strategic direction for housing and all the steps that come after that has to be CIH in Northern Ireland’s number one policy priority in 2012, because if we get that right then the rest should follow. 

There are significant challenges and obstacles ahead and no-one in the housing sector is under any illusion about how difficult negotiating those will be. We believe that not all the answers will come from the government. The solutions must come from collaboration and be sector-led. We, at CIH, are uniquely placed as the professional body for housing to help find the solutions.

In the coming weeks, CIH will be leading a process of engagement with our profession.  We will help to galvanise our sector so that strategy outcomes are informed directly by the experience and knowledge of the sector.

Our offer as the professional body for housing is to help provide our sector with solutions that are rooted in the practical experience and knowledge of our members.

I am convinced that with the right vision and strategy and the commitment of the many dedicated and highly qualified housing professionals in Northern Ireland,  the housing sector will be able to deliver much needed solutions and positive outcomes for our communities.