Foreword
The impact of Covid followed by the cost-of-living/energy crisis on the lowest income households is well-documented. Not only will many more people struggle with rising debt levels but the sense of helplessness will extend to impact their health and wellbeing – the collateral damage!
For two decades and more I have propagated the importance of the health and housing relationship and in leadership have driven organisations to deliver across integrated services. In that, I am not alone.
As leaders like Professor Donna Hall call for the “same integration and ambition” as when the NHS was created, and the pushing outside of “professional comfort zones”, housing associations sitting on the periphery must step up.
Five years ago, Hafod, recognising data showing 49% of housing customers had one or more member of the household either registered as disabled and/or with a long-term limiting illness, fundamentally redesigned its frontline housing service provision. Moving from a transactional-focused approach to a more intensive, targeted person-centric neighbourhood coaching model. At a locality level, Hafod’s services have become better aligned with formal health care and primary care provision to address wider determinants.
This a small sample of case studies, borne out of the Hafod experience, highlighting social housing’s wider role in tacking the wider determinants of health and social inequalities and the abundant latent capacity to do so much more. We have anonymised real life situations to highlight the experiences of our tenants in the current health, care and housing system, and the important role of our neighbourhood coaches.
Please feel free to contact me directly should you wish to discuss further. I am particularly keen to hear about your experiences, insight, perspectives and to share any learning.
Jas Bains
CEO, Hafod