Stronger Together

This month I was honoured to join the Board as a trustee of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). The CIH traces its ancestry back to the Association of Women Housing Workers in 1916 which was founded by the philanthropist and social reformer Octavia Hill, who is probably better known as (outside housing circles) as one of the founders of the National Trust. The CIH gained its Royal Charter in 1984 and has a long history of supporting and promoting the housing profession, creating the first housing qualification and maintaining its role as the leading educational organisation in the social housing sector and providing a range of services to almost 20,000 members not just in and beyond the UK.

This did get me thinking that there is an enormous ecosystem of membership bodies in the housing and related sectors which must appear confusing to outsiders, and some of those within the sector. Here is a summary of the roles of many of those, I’m sure I’ve missed some out.

Alongside the CIH the most obvious is the National Housing Federation (NHF). This year these two organisations ran their first joint conference in Liverpool, hopefully a legacy created for the future. The NHF was originally established in the 1930s as the National Federation of Housing Societies and later the National Federation of Housing Associations. Pretty much all housing associations over a few hundred homes are members of this trade organisation. When devolution came along the organisation split into four and there are equivalent successors in the other three nations The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), Community Housing Cymru (CHC) and the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA). The Housing Diversity Network (HDN) promotes equality and diversity in the sector.

The main umbrella body for homelessness organisations is Homeless Link. The main campaigning body on Homelessness which also provides advice services is Shelter. Housing associations with an interest in Homelessness can also join a group called Homes For Cathy (the name inspired by the 1966 Ken Loach film “Cathy Come Home”). Centrepoint are the leading youth homelessness organisation and have supported other groups nationally leading to the creation of the coordinating organisation Every Youth, previously called End Youth Homelessness. Emmaus UK coordinates the local Emmaus groups which provide homes and work for single people who have experienced homelessness. Crisis UK is a national charity which both campaigns and organises specific support over the Christmas period.

Placeshapers (an organisation which I led for a short time covering maternity leave of the real Director) is a national network of social housing organisations committed to improving communities.
The main representative body for local authorities is the Local Government Association (LGA) however there is also a small organisation called ARCH, Association for Retained Council Housing, for those with arms length management organisations there is the NFA, National Federation of ALMOs, it has a shrinking membership as more councils bring their housing services back inhouse.

The Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) has worked since 1988 to promote the voice of tenants within social housing.

The Almshouse Association was established in 1946 to represent some of the oldest (and often most beautiful) housing organisations in the country.

Community led housing also has a range of voices including the Community Land Trust Network, the Confederation of Co-operative Housing (CCH) and the UK Cohousing Network.

HACT (Housing Associations Charitable Trust) is a research and innovation network, Housemark is a national data and benchmarking group, DIN the Disruptive Innovators Network has a big focus of technological change and the Housing Studies Association (HSA) is the national body for academics working in housing and research. The Housing Partnership Network of UK and Ireland (HPUKI) organises study tours in the UK and abroad for if CEO members and is part of the International Housing Partnership (IHP). HQN (Housing Quality Network) is a training provider and promotes good practice.

The Housing Forum is a national body which brings together housing developers from the social and private sector. The main private sector body is the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and representing smaller builders is the National Federation of Builders (NFB). The British Property Federation (BPF) also has an interest in housing but has a remit which extends into all property.

There are also a large number of regional networks which can replicate this work, the most powerful is probably the G15 representing the largest housing associations in London, interestingly they only having 11 members due to the rationalisation and mergers in the sector.

There are also bodies in associated areas such as planning, construction, private renting and architecture which would make this far too long an article. I’m sure to have missed some organisations either with very specific niches or working across a wider sector but including housing. As you can see it is an extensive and complicated network of networks, each having a particular role or specialism.