The conversation about social housing rarely gets beyond questions of how many more homes we need.
Despite the planning disasters of previous generations, when estates built in the wrong places, lacking the infrastructure necessary for community, ended up being expensively demolished, we scarcely factor in community when thinking about solutions to our housing crisis.
We need a much richer debate, especially in the north, where jobs, transport, social facilities, family networks and much more, all need to be taken into account if we are not to continue the drift of population moving out to already overstretched parts of the country.
It’s now almost 30 years since, as a young Church of England vicar on the outskirts of Rotherham, I joined the board of a housing association. What sparked my interest was rooted more deeply than a desire to build; it was my calling to care for the lives and wellbeing of my parishioners, whether they came to church or not. As I went about my business, visiting people in their homes and talking with community figures, it dawned on me that the lack of decent, well-managed homes in safe, cared-for communities lay at the root of many of the problems that beset my parish.
Everything I have experienced since has confirmed my view. Our cities, towns, estates and villages ought to be great places to live; too often large parts of them aren’t.
Today I chair the association that provides much of the housing on a large estate near Manchester Airport. Yes, we want to build more homes, because we see unmet need. But that’s only the start. We want to build and sustain communities where people enjoy living and are proud of their place. We’re working to create a wider range of homes, so that older people don’t end up having to move away from family and friends when they need a bit more care and support.
We need homes for young families close to where their parents and relatives live, so that they can more readily manage the demands of work and child care. Many of these homes will need to be at rents that are genuinely affordable, not which simply satisfy a government formula. Poverty remains the besetting challenge, and the forthcoming rollout of universal credit will exacerbate its impact.
Over these next few months I’ll be travelling around the north and the midlands to see what housing associations are doing and what local people need and want for their community. I will be travelling with fellow members of a new commission set up by the National Housing Federation to explore what makes a great place and how we can create them.
I know the heart of the vision will emerge primarily from those who live and work in their communities. Our task will be to collect those contributions, to offer some ideas to all those who care about people flourishing in our society.
Bricks and mortar can create a sound home, and truly affordable rents make it practicable to live in, but it’s only when these are combined with care and attention to the human element of our communities that we can make a great place.
David Walker is the bishop of Manchester.
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