On the 9th and 10th September 2024, Convene attended the Housing Community Summit, a groundbreaking collaboration event between the National Housing Federation (NHF) and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).
The summit focused on being a community-driven event, by the sector and for the sector. Over the two days, housing professionals, stakeholders, politicians and residents got together and discussed key issues facing Housing in 2024 and beyond.
The summit was divided into two main areas, Housing in Focus and Housing in Practice. Housing in Focus was a ticketed space dedicated to ‘thought leadership from top political speakers and housing’s senior leaders’. It mainly focused on business strategy and delivery social purpose.
Then there was Housing in Practice, which all CIH and NHF members had free access to. This was a bespoke programme of sessions tailored for housing professionals, with topics ranging from property management and customer engagement, to data and operations.
There were several notable talks and sessions throughout the summit. It began with a keynote address, which featured Dr Miatta Fahnubulleh MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
This address talked about the commitment of the new Labour government to housing, and their desire to bring both social housing and decarbonisation together. Dr Miatta Fahnubulleh expressed the urgency she feels towards enhancing clean energy, homes, and the sector as a whole, and re-established Labour’s commitment to improving social housing.
The panellists discussed the state of the housing crisis, and what they want in the long-term, and how exactly to get there. There was also a Q&A answering some of the sector’s most burning questions.
There was also a talk on why a green investment plan should be kept as a priority for housing. This discussed the challenges of funding, policy uncertainty, the future and the priorities of the new government in regards to housing.
It looked at the issues of greenhouse emissions in the housing sector, and how a path to net zero greatly includes housing as a factor. It also discussed the importance of making this an opportunity for customers, and ensuring that a green investment plan functions on both a macro and an individual level.
There was a talk about whether we can go green and remain affordable, which discussed solar schemes in communities and the rising funding for green builds. There was then a discussion on the British economy, and if there is going to be any money left in regards to housing, which is a huge concern. There was also a talk from Akala, a renowned rapper, journalist, author, activist and poet.
There was another panel talk on whether the housing sector’s financial model is under threat. This discussed the importance of prioritisation, and how organisations can make the right decisions for them when under financial strain. The necessity of good governance was stressed in ensuring that housing associations can manage and mitigate risks. It looked at how crucial honesty and transparency is in governance and financial processes, and how much housing associations need reliability and predictability.
We’d like to thank the NHF and CIH for putting on such an engaging and thought-provoking summit, and all attendees for their insights and discussions into the current state and future of social housing.
