Housing Horizons – What challenges will we face in 2036?
It’s the 3rd of March! This time last year, CHC staff members were busy putting the finishing touches to the arrangements for the Homes for Wales rally when the whole housing sector in Wales came together.
Board members, tenants, and staff members from across the sector marched from the Senedd into the centre of Cardiff with one single message for all those standing for election - End the housing crisis, build a stronger Wales.
One year on and the Welsh Government has set a target of 20,000 affordable homes by 2021, signed a housing pact with CHC and WLGA, and has made important investments in social housing including protecting the Supporting People Programme and maintaining the rent settlement.
So, is our job done?
Wales is in the grip of a housing crisis. Failure to act for the long term risks compounding and sustaining economic failure within our communities, failing older people and those with support needs, and failing young people who wish to rent securely or own a home of their own.
So what are we going to do about it? What is our ambition? This is where Housing Horizons comes in!
As a sector, we plan to build over 3,000 homes next year – a quarter of the overall number of homes needed in Wales. We directly employ 10,000 staff, and last year we ploughed over a billion pounds directly into the Welsh economy. 89p in every £1 of this spend was retained in Wales – a percentage that continues to rise.
Housing Horizons is our way of working with you to continue this work to challenge and aim high, to pioneer new solutions and to cement our role now and in the future as the partner of choice to solve the housing crisis in Wales.
Over the course of this year, we will be organising a range of events and initiatives to bring you together along with our partners to challenge ourselves to answer the question we pose to others – how will we work to solve the housing crisis and build a stronger Wales in 2036?
I hope you will be part of the debate and will play a part in setting out the sector’s vision for 2036.