Last week, Social’s Heads of Manchester and London offices, Becki Ord and Matt Geer, attended the National Housing Federation’s (NHF) Comms and Influencing in Housing Conference in London.
The conference was designed to equip housing associations to communicate, influence, and build lasting relationships with residents and stakeholders, against a backdrop of increasing pressures and limited resources
Speakers included key figures from the NHF as well as communications professionals from housing associations, local authorities and the charity sector, sharing their views, experiences and insight
Here are our key takeaways:
Be strategic while navigating the political terrain
An opening session looked at the political picture for the sector, six months on from the Spending Review. There was recognition that we are still in a shifting and volatile political landscape, and that the sector needs to be strategic in its long-term goals for communications, while being fluid in the short and medium term.
This means keeping an eye on polling to see who the political stakeholders will be in the long term, especially while polling still indicates that Reform UK could be the next government, while both Labour and the Conservatives are experiencing turbulent times.
Focus on community impact
There are opportunities if the sector can move from lobbying to delivery and impact. This means being able to demonstrate what positive impact the sector is having on the lives of people and communities, so having the stories available to tell, especially when engaging with ministers and MPs.
This is especially crucial for projects funded by the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, which need to demonstrate to residents and stakeholders how it translates to regeneration, retrofit and new housing supply.
Use storytelling techniques
Statistics are important for telling these positive stories, but human interest and lived experience will always be more powerful, especially when it comes to communicating impact and social purpose.
Reminding people of the purpose and power of social housing is key – especially as 70% of the public cannot accurately define what a housing association does – as well as combating the stigma some still feel is attached to it.
Avoiding the use of jargon can help the message cut through, and speaking ‘fluent human’, as well as talking about ‘homes’ rather than ‘housing’ to remind your audience that we are talking about places where people live and come home to.
Another interesting suggestion was that the sector might be suffering from ‘crisis fatigue’, where the phrase ‘housing crisis’ is starting to lose its impact and we need to move more quickly to demonstrating solutions and impact.
—-
2026 promises to bring yet more change and challenges for the housing sector, making communications all the more important.
At Social, we connect people through communications to drive positive social and commercial impact through clear strategy, imaginative solutions and collaborative working.
