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Challenging the view that everybody should aspire to own their home
Vivid’s new research illustrates the links between social housing, security and well-being, says Mark Perry
The government is making positive moves with more investment in housebuilding, but there’s a lot more that needs to be done to truly solve the housing crisis.
And as we know, this crisis isn’t just about a massive shortage of homes, it’s a human crisis which is having huge consequences on the well-being of our society.
In the rush to build more homes, it’s important to make sure the right type of homes and communities are built to give everyone the best chance in life.
As well as everyone deserving the basic rights of shelter, comfort and happiness, there are many factors which impact well-being.
Our new research with the universities of Birmingham and Manchester exploring the link between housing tenure and well-being shows that the biggest factor is financial security across all tenures.
This means it’s also important to build and deliver the right homes to the right people to suit their circumstances.
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Coupled with this is the fact that the research shows that social renters are more likely than homeowners to have lower anxiety levels.
Perhaps surprising to some, but not when you think about how for many years it’s offered a stable base in which renters facing wider difficulties can find security. Fixed-term tenancies of course threaten this.
“The research shows that social renters are more likely than homeowners to have lower anxiety levels.”
So overall we have a strong case for delivering the benefits of social housing to a wider group of people, rather than purely to the most vulnerable.
What about it becoming a tenure of choice alongside others, rather than being seen by some as the poor relation?
So we need to think really large scale in terms of the amount of social housing being built, and turn around perceptions to bring it back to being a highly attractive and desirable option in the eyes of customers, the public, media, government, developers and the sector. Where it’s an integral part of thriving communities.
Our research challenges the perceptions and reality of those living in social rented and owner-occupied housing.
Based on responses from more than 2,000 customers, it tells a positive story about a greater need for social housing.
Instead of extending owner-occupation as widely as possible, which puts many people at the margins of their financial capacity, growing the stock of social housing and making it available to many more people may produce a wider total benefit to society.
“Growing the stock of social housing and making it available to many more people may produce a wider total benefit to society.”
Across the UK more than four million people in owner-occupied housing live below the poverty line.
As such we question society’s view that everyone should aspire to own a home.
We have an important role as a sector to influence attitudes and behaviours and challenge the stereotypes of who lives in what type of home.
In the lead-up to the Social Housing Green Paper, we have an opportunity to influence government and other opinion-formers on the value social housing provides alongside other tenures, in improving well-being.
We need to turn around perceptions of it so people feel happy and proud to live in it. We need to get to a point where anyone can choose social housing as a genuine option to improve their well-being.
Mark Perry, chief executive, Vivid
