Harry Palmer, the Editor of Housing Executive discusses the philosophy behind Future Foundations, and what it aims to provide for the sector.
Housing Executive: Future Foundations is only a few days away, and excitement will soon give way to a full day of networking, discussion and collaboration at Bolton Wanderers Stadium. The 6th October will bring with it an opportunity for housing professionals to connect with one another, share best practice, and take in new points of view on challenges which effect the sector as a whole.
That was the guiding principle when we decided to launch Future Foundations. Housing Executive has been lucky enough to act as the media partner for a number of industry events including conferences from CHIC, the NHMF and more. At these events, we were able to see firsthand the progress that is made by possible by the right people in the right room, and that’s a part of the sector we felt we could really add benefit to.
Growing up in council housing myself, I remember the difference our council flat made to the lives of me and my mum. The stability and peace of mind we got from that flat trickled into everything about both of our lives, and without it, both of our stories could have been very different. I think about this fact whenever I read through the seemingly endless statistics of homelessness and children living in temporary accommodation, statistics that through the hard work of the sector and the correct support from the country’s leadership, can hopefully become a thing of the past.
Housing Executive has had the privilege of covering the ins and outs of the sector for a number of years, taking into account its triumphs, challenges and the widespread positive impact that only social housing can achieve. Future Foundations is our first step towards turning this process into something tangible, offering a platform for the discourse we facilitate to leave the page and come to life in a way that can provide real impact, and hopefully the groundwork towards solving some of the challenges facing the sector.
Future Foundations comes at what feels like a pivotal moment for the sector. Amidst rising political division which is seeing fringe ideological stances move further into the mainstream, even the idea of social housing and it’s worth is being questioned. With emotionally charged debates around immigration once again reaching a boiling point, the social housing sector sits at the intersection of serious questions around the support system of the UK as a whole, the philosophies that guide it and the direction of travel moving forwards.
This is something Future Foundations does not shy away from. With discussion covering topics such as homelessness, the ongoing rise of division within our communities and how providers can ensure their social value delivers real impact, we want to encourage leaders to think strategically about what makes the sector great, what is the purpose of the social landlord and how can we look back in the future at the current housing crisis as a thing of the past, and not the beginning of further decline.
You can find your tickets for the Future Foundations Conference here, as well as our full agenda of speaker panels here. We hope to see as many of you as possible in Bolton, and look forward to fostering relationships that can make a difference to so many lives.
