Steve Douglas, Housing Corporation Deputy Chief Executive and member of the Commission on Community Cohesion, highlighted the pivotal role affordable housing plays in building integrated, cohesive and sustainable communities.
Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Annual Conference, in Harrogate, Steve Douglas focused on how housing providers can work towards achieving community cohesion, and the value of diversity in communities. He also recognised that affordable housing providers work in some of the most deprived areas of the country, offering not only the management of homes and services to tenants, but also to the community more widely.
In his speech, Steve Douglas announced the Corporation will be doing the following:
Ensuring its impact assessments are extended to include assessment of the impact of its policies upon integration and cohesion. The Corporation will also require all affordable housing providers receiving investment funding to demonstrate how this funding will assist in promoting integration and cohesion.
Jointly publishing an updated Community Cohesion Guide with the Chartered Institute of Housing later this year, to help funded organisations ensure they take on board and act on the principles of community cohesion.
Shortly launching a cohesion and integration strategy, which will for the first time create a clear link between a series of policy areas, including equality, homelessness and the Corporation's neighbourhood and communities strategy.
Other key points raised in his speech included:
Recognising that tough decisions need to be made in allocations to social housing, and greater transparency about how and why decisions are made around allocations, lettings and investments is needed: they should be not only fair but be seen to be fair.
The Corporation's focus on the importance of promoting community cohesion, as reflected by the launch of an additional theme for its Gold Awards: Building Cohesive Communities
The Provision of HMO and Licensing Provisions...one year on Seminar
7 August 2007: London
Chartered Institute of Housing
Tel.: 024 7685 1772
National Sheltered Housing Conference and Exhibition
9-10 August 2007: Warwick
Chartered Institute of Housing
Tel.: 024 7685 1772
Migrant Workers Seminar
14 August 2007: London
Chartered Institute of Housing
Tel.: 024 7685 1772
The Provision of HMO and Licensing Provisions...one year on Seminar
16 August 2007: Leeds
Chartered Institute of Housing
Tel.: 024 7685 1772
Repairs & Maintenance Conference
30-31 August 2007: Dundee
Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland
Tel.: 0131 225 4544
Please visit the Forthcoming Events section of this website for a comprehensive listing of events.
Security of Tenure: Introductory
7-8 August 2007: London
Housing Allocations under Part 6 Housing Act 1996 (Briefing - AM only)
9 August 2007: London
Recent Housing Law Developments (Briefing - AM only)
15 August 2007: London
Security and Assured Tenancies: Problems in Practice
23 August 2007: Manchester
Disability Equality Duty and Housing
23-24 August 2007: London
Homelessness: Update
30 August 2007: Manchester
For further details, call Shelter Training on 0844 515 1155 or visit there website at www.shelter.org.uk/training.