The need for a human-centric approach
Social Rent Housing playbook series
The Social Housing Playbook presents an ecosystem to solution to address the structural deficit in our UK housing supply. If you are new to the Playbook, read more about the ecosystem solution in our blog ‘A Playbook approach to social rent housing delivery.’
One of the benefits of an ecosystem solution is that it provides us with an opportunity to adopt a human-centric approach and intentionally embed new guiding principles and values into every phase of delivery. To address housing provision is also to address systemic poverty and build social cohesion. To tackle this and mitigate the risk of social disintegration requires public sector intervention where the current system is failing most - to provide quality homes for the most vulnerable. A human-centric approach invites us to consider how the design, handover, and in some cases wraparound support of new housing impacts residents, communities and the outlook for wider society. Below are some examples of human-centric approaches.
Embedding quality of life outcomes through design
“As we build new social housing, under increasing financial pressure and scrutiny, we must be clear why good design is an investment in the mental and physical health of the nation.” - Miranda MacLaren Morris+Company
Over the last 12 months, architects Miranda MacLaren and Polina Pencheva from Morris+Company have been listening to homeless families living in emergency accommodation to better understand what ‘good’ design looks like. Their most recent study, the Family Emergency Accommodation Guidance shines a light on ‘good’ design of new emergency family homes and aims to lift the standards of accommodation for homeless families. What they have heard and learnt is equally important for the design of ‘move on’ and permanent social rent homes, which increasingly must meet the needs of families impacted by significant housing difficulty. The value of high-quality new homes, must be recognised both for residents and the wider community.
Having heard the stories and insights of those waiting for settled housing (see the RIBA backed We Are Not Bad Kids campaign), the research team at Morris+Company urge those commissioning new social homes to prioritise the design and delivery of safe, settled homes, where residents can carry out their daily lives without interruption, with access to doorstop play while living in a neighbourhood within walking distance of key infrastructure and support networks.
Read the full blog from Morris+Company on Embedding quality of life outcomes through design here.
2. Trauma-informed social rent housing
”Through collaborative practice and placing the tenant at the forefront
of decision making, systems and environments (including new social homes) can become trauma-informed.” - Changing Futures Bristol
According to Changing Futures, the shortage of social housing, long waiting lists and numbers of households in Temporary Accommodation, or other unsuitable accommodation, is resulting in higher levels of adversity and trauma amongst future residents. Human-centric design is key to establishing trusted pathways for new social housing delivery.
For those who are already living with a perpetual heightened sense of anxiety and fear, dealing with housing issues such as paying rent, organising repairs, managing relationships with neighbours, housing insecurity and evictions can be particularly difficult and, in some cases, re-traumatising.
When we create environments that support residents’ wellbeing, the need for crisis interventions and emergency services will decrease over time, benefitting everyone in the long term. Changing Futures Bristol, a city-wide multi-agency partnership dedicated to improving local services for adults and young people who face multiple disadvantage, advocate for a trauma-informed approach to the provision of housing.
By applying trauma-informed practices which emphasise safety, choice, empowerment, inclusivity, trustworthiness and transparency to the design of social rent housing, we can acknowledge and work with the traumatic experiences of residents.
Read more from Changing Futures on Trauma-informed social rent housing here.
3. Exploring co-production
When we embed quality of life outcomes and make our practices trauma-informed, co-production will be at the heart of all designed products and processes.
For example, Changing Futures Bristol are piloting a My Team Around Me approach which puts individuals at the heart of their own support plan.
In another example, Quality of Life Foundation has developed a Code of Practice for community engagement for anyone working on the development, planning and design of places. The Code of Practice centres on the need for collaboration with local communities and other key stakeholders throughout the planning and design process.
Read more from the Quality of Life Foundation on the code of practice here.
Download the Playbook here, or explore other blogs.
As you engage with the Playbook, we encourage you to reach out to the contributing organisations to inform your learning. No single organisation’s product, process or passion can fix the problem. Change will come through creativity, collective wisdom and the will to roll up our sleeves, get involved and work together to do things differently!