Full speech: Julie Fadden at the CIH presidential dinner

Good evening, everyone. I am delighted to welcome you to the Chartered Institute of Housing’s (CIH) 2017 presidential dinner.

I feel extremely privileged and proud to host this event in the presence of so many people who make a huge contribution to housing. Thank you so much for being here this evening.

When I prepared this speech I reflected on the past year.

It has, after all, been a rather interesting time for housing and world events have taken many of us by surprise.

But though a lot may have changed, the challenges we face as a sector remain.

“We have a right to expect a concrete commitment on affordability.”

We still have an acute housing crisis, we still have to do more to meet the needs of our most vulnerable people and we still have homeless people on our streets.

It was in that context that our prime minister made a pledge when she took office.

“We need to create a country which works for everyone,” she said.

Those words have been quoted regularly since that first speech, but actually what she said straight after that is the bit that’s really relevant for us.

“We need a country where everyone plays by the same rules,” she continued. “And where every single person – regardless of their background or that of their parents – is given the chance to be all they want to be.”

If we need a focus it is there – “where every single person is given the chance to be all they want to be”.

Because I ask you now, what could be more important in achieving that than being part of a community, and most importantly of all, having a place to call home?

Ask anyone what their home means to them and what will they say?

What does a home mean to any of us who are lucky to have one?

Shelter, security, comfort, happiness, warmth – a place from which we can flourish and thrive.

If the government is serious then it is time for housing to take centre stage.

Because there’s no doubt, no question, we will never create a country which works for everyone until everyone has access to a decent home.

So how close are we to achieving that? Well unfortunately we are a long, long way off.

We need more homes – at least 250,000 of them every year to meet new and existing demand – and we need them quickly.

The government has made a good start to deliver on its promise of giving us more funding and flexibility. But we need more – much, much more – if we’re going to reach anywhere near the right level of housebuilding.

We’re all sensible enough, or at least sufficiently long in the tooth, to know not to expect miracles. But what we do have a right to expect, and what we desperately need, is a concrete commitment on affordability.

This is particularly true when it comes to building the social and affordable rented properties that we all know will be a crucial element of solving our housing crisis.

We ended 2016 with the lowest level of affordable housebuilding for nearly 25 years.

And a lack of genuinely affordable housing means many people, particularly those under 35, are now left with no option but to rent privately where they are now regularly spending more than half of their wages on housing costs. That is quite simply unacceptable.

The housing minister is right when he says we need homes of all kinds. We need homes for sale and rent.

The CIH has repeatedly called for more investment in affordable rented homes, and the building of a significant number of new homes for social rent should be a key part of that.

It is alarming then that our recent projections show that between 2012 and 2020 we will have lost nearly a quarter of a million social rented homes.

We need a housing policy which reflects a simple truth – helping someone get a decent home and helping them own a home are not the same thing.

And homeownership is not a realistic prospect for at least a quarter of people in the UK.

Policies which support homeownership should be part of a proper housing strategy. But only one part.

We need a housing strategy that recognises the critical role played by rented homes. A housing strategy which support the needs of all people. That is the only way to make a country which works for everyone.

So how are we going to build the homes we need?

Well the truth is we can all play a part – more funding and flexibility from the government would help, building on the welcome additional funding and flexibility for the Affordable Homes Programme already announced in the Autumn Statement.

We also think the government can go much further to support a particular type of organisation to once again become major players in housebuilding: local authorities.

The last time we built anywhere near the level of homes we need, our local authorities played a huge part, and they can and should again.

My own home city of Liverpool has suffered some of the largest cuts of any other local authority in the UK and yet it continues to strive with local housing associations to build homes for the future.

Together we can achieve so much more.

We talk about creating communities and that is exactly what sustainable housing should do. Local authorities are perfectly placed to deliver on that ambition.

We’ve consistently called for the government to make it easier for local authorities to build more homes.

And we are now working with local authorities on a proposal to government to remove the restrictions which prevent the building of thousands of new council homes in return for specific and concrete commitments from local authorities around the numbers and types of homes they will build in return.

We also believe that regeneration can make a significant contribution to getting us closer to the level of housebuilding we need and we’ve called for an increase in funding to back housing organisations to deliver bigger regeneration-led developments.

Again, our proposals do not simply demand of government but also demonstrate how we think the housing profession can bring its own skills and abilities to bear, so that the ask we make of government is matched by the offer the profession can make.

“There is no doubt that a lack of affordable housing is a leading cause of homelessness.”

But of course our housing crisis won’t be solved simply by building homes.

What we need is a strategy which supports everyone to get access to a home – particularly the people who need housing the most.

Welfare policy must be at the heart of that and we continue to make the case for a review of policies which we feel completely undermine the commitment to make our nation a fairer place.

The Local Housing Allowance cap is one such policy.

Our research has shown the negative impact this policy could have, not only on the people who need supported housing and the providers of this vital accommodation, but on people in general needs social housing who also face significant shortfalls on their housing costs when this policy takes effect. And a welfare measure which is even more alarming is the overall benefit cap.

Our research hit the headlines last year when we revealed the reduction in the total amount of benefits any household can receive will hit 116,000 families across the UK – leaving them with a weekly shortfall of more than £100 in many areas of the country.

And that does not mean making the choice between a flat screen television and a holiday. It means people having to choose whether to heat their homes or eat … it means parents going without food to ensure their children are fed … it means that in 2017 people are queueing at food banks because they have no other choice.

What our research shows is that the vast majority of the families hit were two or three children families. It also demonstrates that a huge number of families in the UK, are a redundancy, or a period of ill health away from being hit.

And the most concerning impact of this policy is that it makes housing in many parts of the country virtually inaccessible to many families.

That is not fair, it’s not right and it certainly isn’t how you create a country which works for everyone.

The benefit cap is just one example of a policy we believe is contributing to a continued increase in homelessness.

It is estimated that around 250,000 people in the UK are homeless and the problem has steadily worsened since 2010. Over 120,000 children were homeless in the UK this Christmas. This is nothing short of a national scandal which we cannot and must not accept.

“We also desperately need a homelessness strategy which is directly linked to our housing strategy.”

This is something I am extremely passionate about, which is why I chose Crisis as my presidential charity – setting my own personal 10-stone weight-loss challenge as part of my efforts to raise funds for this fantastic organisation and those they serve.

I’m delighted to have lost three stone so far – seven more to go – and to have raised around £9,000 so far. I would be so grateful if you can give anything you can spare in the envelopes on your tables this evening to support this worthwhile cause.

We are lucky enough to have the opportunity tonight to enjoy food and drink in fabulous company. So please do dig deep and donate for those who simply cannot get out of their situation without our help.

I have been so utterly inspired by the work of Crisis, particularly by its chief executive Jon Sparkes, who is the essence of an authentic leader and someone who leads by example and lives and breathes the values of his organisation.

And nowhere is the value of the work of Crisis more apparent than in the progress of the Homelessness Reduction Bill.

This incredible piece of work represents huge progress.

And though a duty on local authorities is good, it simply won’t work without the right support for those organisations.

We also desperately need a homelessness strategy which is directly linked to our housing strategy. This is something we have campaigned for and will continue to make the case for in 2017.

But once again we need more if we’re really going to solve the housing crisis – in fact we need the government to understand that homelessness and the housing strategy are inextricably linked.

It all comes back to lack of supply – and there is no doubt that a lack of affordable housing is a leading cause of homelessness.

But that’s enough about what we want the government to do. What about the things that are in our control?

Yes, we are in uncertain times, and yes, to some extent the policy landscape dictates what we can achieve. But a lot still remains in our hands.

During my presidential year I have had the privilege of working voluntarily with the Paper Cup project in Liverpool, providing food and clothing to people on our streets.

One night with them was enough to challenge my thinking and it occurred to me that we could just simply rehouse the people we met. So we did just that – we took a chance, and started rehousing people there and then, putting them in furnished accommodation with food and clothing provided.

We have now taken 20 people off the streets and given them fresh starts in lovely homes with the support they need to find work and contribute to society once again.

I could say this was hard work, but it wasn’t. In fact it was probably the easiest thing I have done in my 37-year career.

This is just one example of how we can shift our thinking to find workable solutions to the challenges which lie ahead. If every housing organisation housed two homeless people a month like this we would take an extra 50,000 people off the streets in a year.

Last year the CIH celebrated its centenary year. I was so privileged to have been president for this and to have seen so many people come together to celebrate 100 years of professional housing.

It was a timely reminder, as if we needed it, of just what housing has achieved – an opportunity to think back to the millions of people we’ve helped to have a better future.

We must not forget that, we must never forget the huge contribution we have made and that we continue to make to change lives.

Something else we can control is how we prepare ourselves for the future, and as the home of professional standards we’re constantly finding new ways to equip housing professionals with the tools they need to be great.

We are the biggest network of housing professionals in the world and we’re delighted to continue to extend our influence in our devolved nations, where a crucial understanding of the unique landscape in each of those countries helps our teams make a very real impact on both housing policy and practice across the UK.

We also continue to expand our influence further afield in countries like Canada, China and Hong Kong.

For the same reason it is important for everyone to feel part of a community. We believe it is important for housing professionals to be part of one.

In fact you could say it has never been more important to be part of something bigger, a place to learn and debate together, to inspire one another, innovate together and to exert our collective influence.

And we continue to strive to find new ways to help housing professionals do exactly that.

In 2017 we have a new exciting programme of events to bring together professionals – the pinnacle of which will, of course, be Housing 2017 in Manchester in June.

We also have ambitious plans to expand our training offer – with new modules to support professionals at every level.

And we are always looking for ways to add value for CIH members. This year this will mean the launch of a new online career development course, a mentoring scheme and new free training sessions.

Our awards, which showcase the best of the talent in housing, also go from strength to strength. We smashed the record for entries into the 2017 UK Housing Awards and we look forward to judging the shortlisted entries ahead of the final later this year.

Meanwhile our regional boards continue to do fantastic work to represent us at a local level, organising events and uniting the CIH community. Thank you for all that you do. And a reminder that it’s not too late to showcase your great work in our regional awards which are open until 20 February.

Looking to the future, the changes to apprenticeships in the UK represent a huge opportunity for the housing world to bring through the talent we need to make ourselves fit for the future.

We have been heavily involved in the development of standards and a key part of our activity next year will be working with organisations to make the most out of them.

Bringing out the best in every person through their professional development is just as important as the policy landscape. That is the bit which we can control, and which we must get right. You get out of people what you put in – it’s that simple.

We must all manage our businesses responsibly to maximise the impact we can make together and strive to employ and train people who have the character and gumption to make it happen.

I believe we are here to leave our world better than when we found it.

Our role is a special one, a privileged one. We’ve been given the opportunity to make a genuine difference to people’s lives – seize that opportunity and make a difference every day.

So our sector’s message to government must be this: we are here, we are ready, we believe in what we do. Believe in us. You want a country which works for everyone. We are here, ready to build it. Give us the tools and we will go away and deliver it.

And our message to you is this: we are here to help you do the fantastic work you do. We’re here to help you continue to push the boundaries of what you do to create great places to live. And we’re here to help you build a country in which everyone has a place to call home. Because everyone – everyone – deserves that.

Here’s to a great 2017, let’s make it happen!

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your evening.

This speech was given at the CIH presidential dinner, in London, on 1 February