social housing 'consensus' is proof of its professionalism

It is without doubt that Guardian Housing Network Editor Hannah Fearn is one of the most innovative and passionate people in housing.

Hannah asks the questions that others in housing think but don't ask and offers support to the sector when others fail to. Her questions can sometimes be uncomfortable for the sector though, and that's whether you are a government minister or a housing association, but undeniably they are necessary and a breath of fresh air.

It is for these reasons that I have asked Hannah to be my guest blogger about the social housing 'consensus'.

I’d also highly recommend that you sign up to the Guardian Housing Network here though if you work in the housing sector and care about your profession I’m sure you will have done so already. With no further delay then over to Hannah………

social housing 'consensus' is proof of its professionalism

Pictured: Housing Minister Grant Shapps

Earlier this week, at a seminar organised by the Guardian Housing Network, the discussion turned to professionalism. With no accredited course or series of examinations to mark us out, how do we know that housing professionals are meeting a basic set of standards in their work? How can we be sure they are striving for an agreed common good, rather than simply "pushing paperclips"?

One of the most frustrating soundbites to catch the public attention, largely thanks to the concerted efforts of housing minister Grant Shapps and his slick team of PRs, is the idea that housing professionals are caught in the quagmire of a "lazy consensus".

Lazy? Certainly not. Housing staff have shown an admirable resourcefulness, faced in the past five years with untold changes to the structure of their sector, continual cuts to government support for their work and the need to innovate to stay afloat. The speed and dexterity with which housing associations responded to the introduction of Affordable Rent is illustration enough of the appetite for working hard to make change.

But is there a consensus in housing? I would argue there is. Another frustrating message currently touted by Shapps and others, including Westminster council, argues that housing is not a right but a privilege. We, as a professional group, disagree. Maslow's hierarchy of needs, that great cornerstone of undergraduate study, tells us that shelter comes right up there with food and water as a basic human necessity. Without it we cannot function, let alone flourish.

Those working in housing don't need Maslow's colourful pyramid to tell them this basic fact of life. We know that without a decent home, all other social outcomes are compromised. A chance at an education requires a quiet and safe place to concentrate; children in very over-crowded living conditions are least likely to thrive in school. Good health is predicated on a safe, warm home; living in a damp property increases the risks of respiratory disease, while poorly maintained homes are a major risk to elderly and frail residents.

So if there is one consensus in the housing sector it's this: housing is a human right, and one that professionals will strive to provide for those who cannot, for whatever reason, meet this need for themselves. This is the essence of professionalism in housing.

Speaking at this week's seminar, Abigail Davies, assistant director of policy and practice of the Chartered Institute of Housing, pointed out that if we do not like a phrase such as the "lazy consensus" we should not spend time repeating it. But while it's already in the public sphere, let us turn it to an advantage and celebrate the positive consensus that we share.

Hannah Fearn – Editor of the Guardian Housing Network

This article first appeared in the Guardian Housing Network Editors blog on 10/02/12 here

Many thanks Hannah for agreeing to be my guest blogger.