Tackling social housing stigma – changing hearts and minds forever

In 2009, the Tenant Services Authority – the then regulator - reported that 77% of housing association and local authority tenants were satisfied with their landlord’s services. They pointed to that not being enough, highlighting the 88% satisfaction ratings in housing co-ops as an aspirational target.   
 
In November 2024, the Regulator of Social Housing published the results of the Tenant Satisfaction Measures. They have said that over 70% of residents of social housing are satisfied with their landlord’s service, but they have said that the sector should not be complacent about continuing to improve services.  
 
Rocked by the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower and the terrible death of Awaab Isaak, sweeping new consumer regulations are bringing change to the sector. But residents cannot rely solely on regulation to change the sector. They need social housing providers to proactively tackle issues that matter to them, including stigma. History has shown us that there must be a cultural shift from within, to ensure the winds of change permanently steer the sector toward excellence in service to residents. 

Stop Social Housing Stigma 

Stop Social Housing Stigma was formed following the tragic fire at Grenfell and the subsequent Ministerial roadshows, where residents identified that tackling social housing stigma was their most important priority, higher even that getting a good quality and safe repairs service.  
 
That’s why Stop Social Housing Stigma was formed. We’re an organisation led by a committee of social housing residents, that has a growing free membership consisting of residents, supporters landlords and other organisations – all committed to tackling stigma together.  
 
The current UK government has recognised the importance of tackling social housing stigma with the Prime Minister acknowledging need for cultural change in the debate in Parliament on the harrowing Grenfell report. The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, herself someone who has experienced social housing first hand, has subsequently repeated the need to tackle social housing stigma even whilst asking for the sector’s help to build desperately needed social housing homes.   
 
Promises were made to tackle social housing stigma in the then government’s post Grenfell White Paper, but they were not delivered on. That little has been done by government to tackle stigma to date is not surprising. It is so deep rooted in the culture of UK social housing and indeed across society that tackling it is very difficult.   

How can social housing landlords help tackle stigma? 

Several landlords have asked us what they need to do to tackle stigma.  Sadly, we don’t have the answers – no one does. The answers can only come from ongoing dialogue between residents and landlords. 
 
But social housing stigma goes to the heart of the anger and hurt that so many social housing residents feel. It is not an “add on” or a minor problem. It’s the root cause of many other things considered more important. It’s the conscious or unconscious perception that it’s just residents – we don’t need to do what should be done. In reality, it’s fundamental to the lives of social housing residents.   
 
Some landlords get this. Debate, discussion and, in some cases, anti-stigma actions have started. Interest is growing in Stop Social Housing Stigma’s Tackling Stigma Journey Planner - produced in partnership with the University of Durham, Sheffield Hallam University, the Chartered Institute of Housing, TPAS and YD Consultants.   
 
Recognising that tackling stigma is a journey, Stop Social Housing Stigma is now working with 12 pilot Pioneer Travellers. Pioneer Travellers facilitate lively debate between residents, staff drawn from a range of teams, contractors and others on everything from trust, culture, and residents leading change through to service delivery, repairs and first-class staff. We call these issues ‘tickets’, so we can talk about stigma in bite-size chunks, with each ticket issue a step on the journey to tackling stigma. 
 
The outputs from discussions are practical action plans that will help landlords progress their tackling stigma journey. The intended outcomes are reduced stigma, clearer definition of what it means to respect residents, and, in the longer term, better satisfaction results. 

What’s next for Stop Social Housing Stigma? 

Our work will result in a report in Spring 2025 and a refined Journey Planner. But this is a journey that needs to continue and grow. The sector needs to embed anti-stigma cultures in hearts and minds, not just because they must because of new regulation, but because they want to.   
 
United, the sector can send a clear message that it is never right that someone should be worth less just because they live in social housing.