Make housing a national priority, says campaign

Derby City Council and Derby Homes are the latest organisations to have joined a national campaign to make social housing a government priority in the coronavirus recovery.

Organised by the National Federation of Housing, the Chartered Institute of Housing, homelessness charity Crisis, the National Federation of ALMOs, and the Association of Retained Council Housing, the Homes at the Heart campaign highlights the importance of affordable homes and secure tenancies as key to our national recovery.

The campaign is calling for for a once-in-a-generation investment in social housing and has a clear and simple message: social homes should be at the heart of the country’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

The campaign identifies five priorities for national recovery: no return to rough sleeping; a new generation of affordable homes; helping people to thrive at home; a new drive to decarbonise social housing; and change for communities across the country.

Throughout August and September, Derby Homes and Derby City Council are taking part in six themed weeks of action that highlight the detail of the social and financial good social housing is already doing – and showing how much more it could do with solid public and government backing.

Roy Webb, cabinet member for Adults, Health and Social Housing, said of the campaign: “Everyone deserves a safe, secure, comfortable place to call home. Not just now, in the middle of this crisis, but for the future. Investing in social housing – in all its forms – makes this possible. It will boost the local economy, create jobs and improve people’s lives when our nation needs it most.

“In Derby, we have plans to deliver more than 500 homes over the next five years, whilst continuing to improve and adapt our existing stock. We also want to ensure that we provide avenues back into housing, for those who may be homeless or at risk of losing their homes. Putting a roof over someone’s head doesn’t just help them – it helps us all.”