In the pink
Housing for Women boss and G320 chair Elizabeth Clarson has spent the last decade helping vulnerable women and championing small housing associations. But as her association celebrates its 75th anniversary, she talks to Philippa Ward about her concerns for the future.
Elizabeth Clarson is an energetic woman. It turns out the chief executive of Housing for Women - and chair of the G320 group of smaller housing associations - is game for clambering up to the roof of her south London office to have her photo taken. Emerging into the Brixton sunlight, smart in a shocking pink jacket and black heels, Ms Clarson enthuses immediately about the experience.
In fact, zest and fervour infuse her responses to almost everything we discuss. The only thing she isn’t keen on is talking about is herself and her career choices - which readers are sure to find ‘boring’ or ‘trite’, she says.
Champion for the cause
It is a busy year for the self-deprecating Ms Clarson, in both her roles. Housing association Housing for Women is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Though small - it has only 745 homes and a turnover of £3.2 million - it is still building homes in the downturn, while helping hundreds of vulnerable women each year.
Wearing her other hat, as chair of G320, Ms Clarson speaks up for housing associations with fewer than 1,000 homes. With the Conservatives friendly towards anything that smacks of localism, the run-up to the general election is a key time to make politicians aware of what smaller associations can do - especially given the pressure to merge over recent years.
It’s 10 months since Ms Clarson moved from treasurer to chair of the group, which exchanges best practice among 320 London-based housing associations and lobbies on their behalf. She speaks enthusiastically about her fellow members, reeling off a list of worthwhile projects. ‘You’ll find a lot of the G320 are doing really good work, ploughing their own furrow, and feeding into what is going on in the wider sector, but aren’t necessarily recognised,’ Ms Clarson says.
Astonishingly, she even misses regulation - associations with less than 1,000 homes are not visited by the Tenant Services Authority - for this reason, because small associations don’t have a chance to be externally validated. ‘There is a problem in not being able to demonstrate the very good work they [smaller associations] are doing. It is almost as though we don’t count.’
HfW is certainly a good advertisement for small social landlords. Set up in the 1930s to help women gain independence through employment and housing, it operates in eight London boroughs and still has a majority of general needs tenants. To hold a tenancy, you must be female, but many live with their partners and families.
In a display of the capabilities of small associations, HfW is increasing its stock by 13 per cent by developing 190 homes. Most will be badly needed family-sized housing. Unlike many other associations, Ms Clarson’s has never built homes for sale, leaving its finances in ruder health that some. These homes are being paid for using a £20 million loan facility which she is keen to use before its favourable terms expire.
‘The credit crunch provided us with opportunities - we’ve got a sudden bulge of development at the moment,’ Ms Clarson says.
Putting women first
HfW also gives long-term support to women with nowhere else to turn: ex-offenders; asylum seekers; and those trafficked into the sex industry.
In 10 years at the helm of HfW, Ms Clarson has had plenty of time to dwell on the darker side of human behaviour. ‘I wouldn’t say that the issues have changed, they have become more critical. Things are not getting better,’ she warns.
She cites the work HfW does combating violence as an example. ‘Last year, there were 34 female deaths attributable to domestic violence in London alone,’ she points out, shaking her head. ‘But the issue that bothers me most is public tolerance of it, especially among young people.’
HfW has a number of domestic violence hostels, helps other associations recognise the signs of abuse and provide support, and works with councils to help women stay safe in their own homes if they don’t want to leave.
Ms Clarson is worried about the future of those services, following the removal of the ring fence from the £1.66 billion Supporting People programme earlier this year.
‘We’ve noticed that local authorities are more ready to fund floating support to women in their community [than pay for emergency accommodation]. But there will always be cases where women have to leave the home - always - and it would be a great shame if that funding dried up,’ she says.
As she tells me about women who have arrived at HfW hostels with their lives packed into a couple of plastic bags, she could be forgiven if the weight of such issues had worn her down. But it is clear that Ms Clarson is dedicated to housing for life. Her husband and daughter both work in the sector and she is still hugely enthusiastic about the career she chose while still at school and embarked on at Bristol Council.
‘It’s been very stimulating and I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed almost every minute,’ she says - and then immediately apologises for sounding corny.
On executive salaries
Housing association chief executives’ salaries are a hot topic at the moment following the revelation of pay package rises as large as 47 per cent in Inside Housing’s recent survey. Ms Clarson, in a joint decision with her board, will not get an increase on her £71,328 salary this year. ‘After all, the ones who suffer the most, the ones who pay the most tax as a proportion of their salary, are at the lower end,’ she says. ‘So it is almost a gesture that those of us who are earning quite good salaries can make without too much pain…which again is bit awful, really.’
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