Repositioning social housing: the 21st century challenge

1
Repositioning social housing the 21st century
challenge
IPSM Conference 2001

• Danny Friedman
• Head of Research and Information
• National Housing Federation

2
The starting point

Choice I hated the thought of never being able
to choose where I live ... it has got to be my
choice within reason. Rather than having
something granted to you MORI/NHF survey
2001
3
Opportunity It is a completely different
feeling ... We were putting some blinds up and
I thought, Should we be drilling into this
window frame?... And then you realise, yes,
because it is my window frame MORI/NHF survey
2001
4
Culture When I first stood in the house that we
had bought I said to my husband, Oh my gosh,
these people have mown their gardens. This is
the first time I have ever lived by anyone who
even bothered to care for their garden MORI/NHF
survey 2001
5
Some depressing numbers

• 36 of the public think the public sector has
  got worse over the last four years
• 40 think it hasnt changed
• only 20 think its got better
• Taylor Nelson Sofres / LGA survey 2001

6
Will things get better ?

• 35 think public services will improve
• 24 think they wont change
• 36 think theyll get worse
• Taylor Nelson Sofres / LGA survey 2001

7
And as for social housing

• 83 of the public would like to be living in an
  owner-occupied home in 5 years time
• only 11 would like to live in social rented
  housing
• 2 would like a private landlord
• MORI/NHF survey 2001

8
The upside ..

Dissatisfied
Satisfied

Landlord
Value for money
Accommodation
Property condition
Area
MORI / NHF Omnibus 2001 (all 2,009)
9
Satisfaction with Home Tenure
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your
home?
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
All
Owner occupiers
Social Rented
Private Rented
MORI / NHF Omnibus 2001 (all 2,009)
10
Satisfaction by landlord type
NHF FEEDBACK service, 2001
11
Perception v. reality

• PIs are improving
• Satisfaction with services is high
• Service providers optimistic about current and
  future trends
• BUT
• Consumers are disillusioned
• PERCEPTION IS REALITY
• (However unjustified)

12
Branding and repositioning

• Branding, identity, image, repositioning
  marketing jargon, but important
• Brand identity plays critical part in the buying
  / decision process
• Between choices
• Paying a premium
• Brand image can be changed, to influence
  behaviour and perception
• Repositioning is moving perception from one
  point to another

13
Social housing is a brand as are other public
sector servicesSo how do you change brand
perception ?
14
2 Cs, a Q and an O

• Choice
• Quality
• Opportunity
• Culture

15
Developing choice

• the captive market
• choice more important than tenure for some
• stakeholding and new models of involvement and
  accountability
• social housing as a tenure of opportunity, at
  different stages of a housing life-cycle
• quality products

16
Transforming quality

• quality of home
• quality of service
• quality of area
• Neighbourhood / Community
• Physical environment

17
Taking opportunities

• Being a traditional landlord is not enough
• the regeneration and Housing Plus role
• social housing as a tenure of opportunity, at
  different stages of a housing life-cycle
• Being a provider of social housing is not enough
  
• diversification, new markets, other tenures

18
Changing culture (1)

• Staff culture
• Happiest staff happiest tenants
• Communication is key
• The contact curve

• Resident culture

19
Changing culture (2)

• Organisational culture
• Low knowledge base of general public the
  invisible sector
• Public or Private ?
• Business or Not for Profit ?

20
The context for change

• Demography
• Deprivation
• Technology

21
The population is ageing..
22
Household and social structures are changing
23
Patterns of tenure have shifted dramatically
24
Deprivation England
25
Social Housing England
Social Housingby District
28 to 56
18 to 28
14 to 18
10 to 14
0 to 10
26
The less deprived, the more satisfied ..
Degree of deprivation
27
Technology
Technology always surpasses expectations
Rosemary Radcliffe, Chief Economist,
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
28
The pace of change is accelerating
50 million users
29
The finishing point .
Im not sure that staying how we are is an
optionIf you want to grow, if you want to
survive and thrive even, you need to keep pace
with change RSL Chief Executive