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Sasha Deepwell is chief executive of Irwell Valley Homes and Olu Olanrewaju is director at Altair
What we want to achieve with our new web series about housing
Sasha Deepwell and Olu Olanrewaju today launch a new series of video interviews with inspirational staff and tenants who work in housing. Here they set out why they think it is important to tell their stories
At the height of the pandemic last year, we had the privilege to judge the Women in Housing Awards. The citations of frontline colleagues inspiring others while working under challenging circumstances were heart-warming.
We felt these stories needed to be shared on a wider platform to inspire others and showcase these outstanding role models. The accounts of the everyday work our housing people do made us feel proud of housing as a career.
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A year on, and the housing sector is going through a period in which we are being called to order and rightly being held accountable for the quality of services delivered to our residents. It is a salutary period that requires deep reflection and a positive response to the issues raised.
Trust will not be restored overnight. It would require a revisit of our structures, resource allocation decisions, processes, systems, governance and people. Most of all it requires us to question our purpose – why are we working in social housing and what do we want to achieve?
It is our people who will lead the restoration of trust. The work they do with customers and communities day in, day out – and their stories – deserve to be told in their own words.
This is not about PR, but hearing the voices of people who work in housing. The series of interviews is a golden opportunity to hear their voice, struggles, triumphs and views on how we can work together to provide better services to our residents.
It has been a privilege to chat with so many outstanding women from diverse backgrounds, working in different spaces, but all with a shared purpose to make a positive difference to the lives of their residents and colleagues. We hope you feel as uplifted by these conversations as we do.
Sasha Deepwell, chief executive, Irwell Valley Homes; Olu Olanrewaju, director, Altair and chair, Leadership 2025
