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Building back fairer

Caroline Stubbs explains how Weaver Vale is approaching equality, diversity and inclusion

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.@wvhtcarolines explains how @weavervale is approaching equality, diversity and inclusion #UKhousing

At a time when the world is beginning to focus on recovering from the pandemic, many are considering how we can not only build back better, but fairer.

It’s one of our key priorities at Weaver Vale Housing Trust (WVHT), and we see this time as a real opportunity to address the ongoing inequalities in our society that impact daily on our colleagues, customers and communities.

While COVID-19 has highlighted staggering inequalities and increasing poverty across all areas of society, we know that it has had a disproportionate effect on some communities who will find it much harder to recover.

So as a housing provider, what can we do to make real changes?

“For me, it is key that equality, diversity and inclusion aren’t treated as a ‘tick-box’ exercise or something we have training on once a year and forget about”

As a lawyer, equity and fairness is ingrained in me and equality, diversity and inclusion is something I’m truly passionate about.

I wanted to bring my knowledge and passion to WVHT and chairing its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team (EDIT) was a way for me to do this.

For me, and the rest of EDIT, it is key that equality, diversity and inclusion aren’t treated as a ‘tick-box’ exercise or something we have training on once a year and forget about.

As a team, it’s our mission to raise awareness, provide challenge and help grow a culture where we all live and breathe equality, diversity and inclusion as a natural part of living our values – which include fairness, respect and collaboration.


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Despite equality, diversity and inclusion having been on all of our agendas for many years, I still think that there is confusion around the different terms, and it’s vital we have a good understanding of what we mean by them.

A question I’m often asked is “aren’t equality, diversity and inclusion the same thing?” The answer is no. They represent three different things.

Equality is about fairness and ensuring everyone has access to the same opportunities.

Diversity relates to recognising, respecting and celebrating our differences, ensuring people are valued for the different perspectives they have to offer.

“It’s clear that despite talking about equality, diversity and inclusion for many years, there is still a long way to go. As housing providers we must address these issues for our communities”

Inclusion means ensuring everyone feels valued, is welcomed, and has a voice.

A useful analogy I have learned is “diversity is being asked to the party and inclusion is being asked to dance.”

If asked, we would all say that we strive for a truly equal, diverse and inclusive environment, and acknowledge that we can achieve more success if everyone feels welcomed and valued enough to bring their whole self.

Beyond that, though, I think it’s important that we really look at how inequality is impacting our society.

People from ethnic minority groups are much more likely to experience social inequalities than white people.

Unemployment rates are significantly higher for ethnic minorities compared to for white people.

Pakistani or Bangladeshi and Black adults are more likely to live in sub-standard accommodation than white people.

There is still a significant gender pay gap, especially in the housing and construction sectors, and sexual harassment and pregnancy and maternity discrimination remain serious problems.

Disabled people are over a third less likely to be employed than non-disabled people.

I could go on, but it’s clear that despite talking about equality, diversity and inclusion for many years, there is still a long way to go. As housing providers we must address these issues for our communities.

Equality, diversity and inclusion should not be thought of as a corporate tool designed to make an organisation look better – it’s something we all need to take responsibility for in order to bring about real, lasting change.

I’ve been educating myself and absorbing as much information as possible.

Through attending sessions with the National Housing Federation, Women in Social Housing, the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Housing Diversity Network, HACT and many more, I’m on my way to understanding better how and why we can and should become truly equal, diverse and inclusive in all we do.

Other members of EDIT are doing the same and we are sharing our learning and experiences, and passing them on to our colleagues at WVHT

“We’re at the beginning of our journey but we are determined to take whatever steps are needed to improve”

It’s so important that we are all on this journey together and that we as individuals take the time to ask ourselves some difficult questions, as well as holding each other to account and challenging when something isn’t quite right.

We’re in the process of signing up to the Houseproud Pledge, a scheme that all social landlords can sign up to, to demonstrate their commitment to LGBTQ+ resident equality and support.

We have secured Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) status.

We’re rolling out training and discussion with colleagues to encourage thinking about how language and behaviours can affect others.

We actively run awareness campaigns that cover a wide range of topics, crucially not instigated by our communications team but devised, planned and written by colleagues.

At WVHT, we’re at the beginning of our journey but we are determined to take whatever steps are needed to improve, so that everyone is being invited to the party and asked to dance.

Caroline Stubbs, solicitor, Weaver Vale Housing Trust

Racism and Housing series

Racism and Housing series

Inside Housing’s Racism and Housing series aims to investigate how race inequality and racism interact with and impact on housing – for tenants, for staff working in housing, and for organisations. It has been launched a year since George Floyd’s murder prompted a huge global wave of Black Lives Matter activism.

We will be publishing monthly investigations that look at racism, race and housing, both in terms of what is going wrong, and what actions that sector is taking to address this.

If you have an idea for a story relating to this campaign, please contact deputy editor (features) Jess McCabe, at jess.mccabe@insidehousing.co.uk

The stories published so far include:

‘We had to abandon everything’: the story of Chan Kataria and the flight of the Ugandan Asians

Race and the cost of living crisis: the impact on social housing tenants

How to create an inclusive housing association: a conversation with Bal Kang

How Cardiff landlords are tackling under-representation

Why has diversity progress stalled?

How racism impacts homeless people

How planning is failing to address race inequality in housing

Race and allocation: who are the new tenants getting social housing, and is it equitable?

How to increase representation of ethnic minorities in senior roles

How race impacts on people’s likelihood of living in a damp home or experiencing fuel poverty

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