Worthy mentor
Housing’s unsung heroes deserve to be celebrated by the sector
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Last year Steve Benson, then president of the Chartered Institute of Housing, set up the CIH’s housing heroes initiative giving the sector the the chance to speak up for the many unsung individuals who make a huge difference through their work.
Some common themes emerged as I listened to the stories told at various events. These people weren’t household names, nor had they achieved one amazing thing. Rather, they were colleagues who had, over many years, supported, shaped and inspired others to be their very best.
My personal housing hero died recently. Anne Yanetta taught me, and hundreds of other would-be housing professionals over the years, on the Herriot Watt postgraduate housing course. She taught me how to do most of the ‘housing’ things I’ve been practising for 20 years but she also taught me how to think and problem solve, how to work in teams, how to communicate effectively, how to achieve through influence rather than control - even how to network.
She instilled in me - without me knowing it - a sense of injustice about homelessness and dreadful housing conditions, a drive for continuous learning and improvement and a desire to question and challenge. Anne’s legacy is the hundreds of housing professionals currently helping to transform lives - and this one would like to say a huge thank you for my career.
Sarah Webb, chief executive, Chartered Institute of Housing