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Tpas-backed research project seeks views on making landlords more representative and diverse
A social housing tenant and Tpas associate has launched a research project to make landlords more representative of their diverse communities.
Kai Jackson’s project is sponsored by Tpas with academic support from the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence.
The research, Diverse Voices: Transforming Tenant Influence in Social Housing, seeks to create more opportunities for tenants to shape the policies and practices that impact their communities.
Ms Jackson has invited social housing tenants from ethnic minority backgrounds and all housing sector staff to participate in the hope their insights will play a “crucial role” in shaping recommendations from the study.
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The aim of the research is to gather information on the diversity of landlord-influencing panels, such as tenant-led scrutiny groups, tenant voice panels and tenant assurance panels.
Ms Jackson has experience in tenant engagement and advocacy. She became chair of her resident scrutiny panel in 2021, working to change the culture of Black Country Housing Group (BCHG).
She has also been an advisory board member of the National Housing Federation since November 2023.
In a blog post, Ms Jackson wrote that she attended national meetings and sector conferences as chair of the BCHG scrutiny panel, but would see “very few [people], if not only myself, as a tenant of colour”.
There was “a noticeable lack of representation from the people from ethnic minority backgrounds”, she added.
The “few Black and brown tenants” she spoke to “all stated they were fed up with the poor services provided by their landlord and wanted to make their voices heard,” but seemed to find it “difficult getting organised with their landlord to make impactful changes”.
The supported framework of equality, diversity and inclusion “needs to be more than just strategic planning”.
Ms Jackson further explained that her project seeks to “understand an area with no available data and support those who may find it difficult to access information and have their voices heard”.
Tpas said it is “proud” to support Ms Jackson in this “vital undertaking”, and as an organisation it “recognises the importance of diverse voices in creating policies that truly address the needs and aspirations of all community members”.
Anyone looking to take part in the research can do so here.
