The social value of social homes in England

Explore how we talk about social homes and how we define and measure social value

Online event supported by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE)

Social homes create value far beyond bricks and mortar. They provide security, affordability, wellbeing, community connection and long-term public benefit. This 90-minute webinar brings together voices from the National Housing Federation, HACT, Shelter, TPAS and Pathway Housing Solutions to explore how we talk about social homes, how we define and measure social value, how tenants experience that value, and where community-led co-housing fits into the wider picture. 

Panel: 

Natalie Tate – Joseph Rowntree Foundation (Chair) 

Natalie Tate is the Strategic Communications Manager at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and leads on the Talking about Homes project, helping communicators build better narratives by framing communications in ways that build public support for decent and affordable homes. Talking about Homes is co-funded by the Nationwide Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Foundation. 

Dr Frances Harkin – HACT 

Dr Frances Harkin is Head of Services at HACT, where she has worked for over 11 years. She specialises in research, evaluation, impact measurement and social value, working with organisations across the social housing sector and wider ecosystem around housing to understand, evidence and demonstrate the difference they make. 

Frances has extensive experience in developing approaches to measuring social value and impact, and in translating research and evidence into practical insight for a range of organisations. 

In this webinar, Frances will explore what we mean by social value, how it can be defined, measured and evidenced, and what this tells us about the wider value of social homes in England. 

Henri Baptiste – Pathway Housing Solutions 

Henri Baptiste is co-founder and Director of Pathway Housing Solutions CIC, an East Midlands community housing organisation advancing affordable, community-led housing alongside homelessness outreach, tenancy support and research. With more than 20 years’ senior experience across the private, public and voluntary sectors, he brings expertise in economic regeneration, urban development and social justice. 

Henri works with communities and partners to develop cohousing, reuse empty buildings and unlock small sites for affordable homes. He has co-authored award-winning research on housing disadvantage, homelessness and barriers to community-led housing, contributes to national housing forums, and gave oral evidence to a parliamentary committee on Black homelessness. 

Hannah Rich – Shelter 

Hannah Rich is a Senior Research Officer at Shelter and has worked in housing policy research for over eight years. Hannah leads Shelter’s research work on social housing, including managing the longitudinal research project on the impact of moving into a social rent home.