NHF Strategic Review: Supporting the housing sector

In response to the recent NHF Report, Housing associations in 2022: a strategic review, Barry Hall, calfordseaden Partner, shares some key insights into the current challenges and how we can support the sector going forward.

The National Housing Federation has led a strategic review into the future of Housing Associations (HAs). The main goal of the review was to looking at HAs core purpose and how to best deliver for residents, communities, and all those in housing need. The report sets out the findings of the review and the NHF’s three-year business strategy.

The strategic review report has identified key vulnerabilities that many housing associations and stakeholders identified as being particularly critical for the future of the sector.

Lack of public support

One of the challenges identified is the lack of widespread public support. As a Practice, we continuously strive to build public support for housing associations. We also aim to bridge the gap between HA’s and developers.

We are involved with a range of frameworks that allow us to assist clients in their unique challenges. To ensure successful delivery, we collaborate with clients to establish mutual objectives. We work towards ensuring that the market conditions, funding regimes and limitations are fully understood.

Inconsistency in performance

Another key challenge identified in the report is inconsistency in performance across the sector. As a multi-disciplinary consultancy, our collaborative approach enables us to ensure that quality is always at the forefront of our work. Through partnership and sharing knowledge, we can ensure that the industry is in the best position to drive positive change. Our dedication to collaboration extends beyond our work with clients on projects, through to informative articles and seminars.

We feel strongly that successful resident engagement is a crucial aspect in ensuring the sectors growth and supporting quality housing needs. We were involved on the Packington Estate scheme, a major inner city six phase regeneration which lived this principle and was heralded by David Cameron as an exemplar model of successful regeneration.

Homes no longer fit for purpose

The report also highlights that some homes are no longer fit for purpose and need significant investment to improve quality, safety and reach net-zero carbon. With the Building Safety Act coming into force, it is more important than ever for the industry to prioritise collaboration and competence to ensure quality homes for all. As a result of this, calfordseaden has established a consolidated one stop solution to support HA’s with a full range of services and assist in remedial work.

Using the insights obtained in the review, the NHF is creating a three-year business strategy that includes long-term initiatives to address these industry challenges and vulnerabilities.

Of these initiatives, the federation is to build public support for, and understanding of, HAs. We support this ambition by continually bridging the gap between HAs and developers, while also facilitating joint ventures and unlocking potential.

Looking ahead, we are keen to collaborate with the NHF and their partners to deliver on their business strategy. Alongside this, we will continue to support HAs with a multi-disciplinary approach that draws upon our extensive in-house expertise.

Read the full NHF Strategic Review Report here.