Empowering The Many
Blase Lambert, Chief Executive Officer, Confederation of Co-operative Housing
I first became a tenant in the social housing sector in 1996 when I lived on the Stonebridge Estate in the London Borough of Brent. After that I moved into a housing association flat in nearby Kensal Green. For me, the key thing about both these homes is that they were managed by a housing co-operative, which gave me the opportunity to be involved in how my homes were managed.
Since then, I have become the Chief Executive Officer of the Confederation of Co-operative Housing (CCH), the Treasurer of Co-operative Housing International and a Board Member of the International Co-operative Alliance.
I want all social housing residents to have the opportunity to determine how their homes are managed whether through direct control or by being able to work constructively with their landlords to shape the services they pay for.
So, I was delighted when CCH and its partner, PPCR, were chosen by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to create the Four Million Homes programme.
Four Million Homes will be a catalyst for change; it will democratise information and knowledge within social housing. Empowering four million households is not about putting someone on a board or holding a consultation meeting that ticks a box; it is about making sure that everyone knows their rights and is able to challenge their landlord so they receive great services in return for the rent and service charges they pay.
The programme has six core elements; these are:
1 The free training programme
We have created an eight module, CIH Recognised programme for residents covering their rights, equality, resident panels and associations, landlord legal and regulatory duties, how landlords are funded and options for community control.
The training sessions will be delivered in venues in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and south London in year 1 and then Bristol, north London, Newcastle and Nottingham in year 2.
We believe in empowering the many, not enabling the few. So later this year, we will create free click-to-view online versions of the training sessions so that every household can watch them on their tv, computer, mobile phone or tablet at a time that is convenient to them.
2 The free live webinars
We launched the programme at an online event in April and will be holding one live event every month throughout the two year programme; these will be recorded and made available as click-to-view content. The first event was about damp and mould on 10th May; the second event will be about anti-social behaviour on 7th June.
3 The website
We have created a new website, www.fourmillionhomes.org where residents can book into training and online events, access information about their rights and landlord responsibilities, get signposted to further resources and later this year, access the click-to-view content.
4 The social media campaign
The campaign will raise the profile of the programme, highlight residents’ rights and their landlords’ responsibilities and focus on key issues in social housing.
We are encouraging residents and landlords to send us short videos that show how landlords are listening to their residents, acting on what they say and how this is making a difference. We will post a selection of these on our social media platforms to demonstrate examples of what works. These videos can be sent to us at info@fourmillionhomes.org
5 The resident sounding board
This will help shape the programme and influence national policy over time. We will increase the number of residents involved in the sounding board throughout the programme and beyond; creating a growing voice for residents across the country.
6 The evaluation
We have commissioned LSE Housing to evaluate the depth and diversity of involvement in the programme and assess the impact of the programme; is it making a difference?
If you are a social housing resident, please visit our website, view our social media, send us your videos and get involved in the programme. If you are a landlord, please let your residents know about the programme, send us your videos and sign up for a Supporters Kit at info@fourmillionhomes.org
