Joining the campaign to end social housing stigma

The Stop Social Housing Stigma campaign is an initiative led by tenants from across the country to promote a more positive image of social housing and suggest how we can all work to change unfair perceptions that negatively affect tenants. We have thrown our weight behind the campaign and will be encouraging all our staff, contractors and partners to do the same.

The stigma of social housing tenants is not new, but the issue came to the forefront following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower in 2017 when tenants from across the country spoke out about how they felt stereotyped by the media and ignored by their landlords. The subsequent inquiry into the Grenfell tragedy highlighted many examples of tenants feeling unfairly stigmatised as lazy, dangerous, or poor simply because of where they live.

Our tenant inspectors have also looked at the issue by interviewing managers, surveying staff, and tenants, and examining good practice from other housing providers. Their investigative work uncovered the fact that a significant minority of tenants did feel stigmatised by Southampton City Council staff. Some tenants said they felt ignored or not listened to by the council, and how the impact of stigma has made them feel like second class citizens.

The tenant inspectors also heard examples of friends and family refusing to visit because of the perception that council estates are dangerous places, and housing staff not treating tenants’ or their homes with respect.

Following their review, the tenant inspectors published a report which includes a list of useful recommendations such as increasing training and raising awareness. Tenant inspectors have delivered training sessions for staff and other tenants to address how certain behaviours can inadvertently reinforce negative stereotypes.

In addition, our Tenant Engagement team have created a series of short videos on stigma which have been incorporated into mandatory staff training. These resources aim to challenge unfair stigmas and raise awareness especially when creating new policies and interacting with tenants.

The tenant-led Stop Social Housing Stigma campaign aims to put a stop to the issue, find out how you can get involved as a tenant. And to find out more about volunteering as a tenant inspector, to get involved in future investigations into matters affecting tenants, please contact our Tenant Engagement team.