24 COMMENT


transformations of disused properties, from care homes to twobed apartments. n Aylesbury, we are working on an abandoned care home which had been empty for more than fi ve years before we started renovations. y targeting properties like this, we have lots of space to play with and single buildings which can provide new homes for lots of people and improve neighbourhoods for eisting residents. At one proect in sse, we transformed an abandoned care home into a fi tfor purpose, freshly decorated and retrofi tted social housing property with  self contained units. The property has enabled a number of local people to stay in their own area and, by working with the charity Social nterest roup, we have been able to create a home complete with additional space for health and social care work to take place. ne of our tenants is so pleased with the support he receives that he is hoping to become a member of staff and help others in his situation.


GREEN LIVING IMPROVES LIVES Theres a long list of eco features wed like to install in all our properties, from biomass boilers to ground source heat pumps, but from a cost perspective thats ust not realistic in every case. n saying that, we do have some key components which are fi tted in all our properties to help with emissions, durability and the cost of living for our tenants. eplacement double glaing, electric ecostrad radiators, energy effi cient and durable appliances, wooden  ooring and enhanced insulation are some of our regular eco features. At another proect, which is also in the south east, weve estimated that these features will save tenants more than  per year. n turn, this gives them a better chance at regaining independence and allows them to spend money on things which will improve their quality of life gym memberships, healthy food shops and transport to spend time with family. y launching our green homes initiative, we are able to limit our reliance on fossil fuels and reduce fuel poverty. We work closely with our solar panel provider which has seen tenants pay as little as p per day for their electricity as a result of the energy their solar panels are delivering.


The proect in sse is a big building with more than  solar panels installed on the roof, converting  kWh per hour. n a sunny day these panels can produce up to  kWh per day. To put this into


contet, a three bedroom house uses an average of  kWh per day. Tenants now have a huge energy supply for their home, resulting in money saved for them and energy being supplied back to the grid.


HOW PRIVATE LANDLORDS CAN BENEFIT THE SOCIAL SECTOR


rivate landlords dont come with the best reputation, but its a stigma the  team is working hard to shake. We work closely with our partners to deliver their eact needs and often manage the properties too, asking for feedback and tending to issues within  hours of them being reported as standard. Without private landlords developing properties there wouldnt be enough stock even with private input there is still a long way to go to get on top of the hundreds of thousands of properties we need to see, year on year. igger budgets and more  eibility mean that social housing can result from redundant properties. rivate intervention means faster turnarounds, higher quality homes and custombuilt properties in keeping with a local authority or housing associations specifi c requirements. We welcome new legislation which will ultimately see private landlords held accountable for the state of the properties they manage, in turn giving social tenants a better quality of life.


THE ‘HOUSING FIRST’ MODEL The ousing First model tells us that housing is a fundamental human right. Through education and the epertise we have inhouse, we hope to eliminate the stigma that surrounds social housing and homelessness. ur tenants come from all walks of life and are often struggling with addiction, ill health or other troubles in their personal lives. They can be in desperate need of support and a place to live.


ousing First directly impacts those in need of a home and has a knock on effect on the rest of the community too. educing the number of people on the streets means less worry and cost for councils and less of a strain on the S and other healthcare providers. A home gives people stability, protection, a safe haven, increased selfworth and improved mental and physical health. While social housing in this country is a long way from where it needs to be, positive change is happening. y starting to chip away at the eisting building stock in ngland, whatever their original purpose, we can start to really level the playing fi eld in terms of available properties for those in desperate need of high quality, safely managed social housing.


Stephen Wasserman is CEO and founder of National Housing Group


WHILE SOCIAL HOUSING IN THIS COUNTRY IS A LONG WAY FROM WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE, POSITIVE CHANGE IS HAPPENING WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK


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