Aileen Edmunds’ Call To Move From Stigma To Solutions

Posted on 4th July 2024

It was a busy week for the UK housing sector at the Housing 2024 event in Manchester last week. Our CEO, Aileen Edmunds, took to the fringe stage, delivering a powerful message that urged Housing Associations to stay true to their primary purpose—providing homes that serve as a foundation for a flourishing life.

Aileen emphasised, “If we are not providing safe, warm, and decent homes, we are embedding poverty, shame, and stigma—the exact opposite of what we were created to do.”

She specifically addressed the issue of furniture poverty and the importance of creating homes that provide positive family relationships, reduce antisocial behaviour, sustain tenancies, and improve mental health and child development.

Highlighting Longleigh’s research, Aileen discussed the significant positive impact of providing flooring at the point of let. She noted that shockingly, 17% of landlords still remove perfectly decent flooring during the void process, often simply to make life easier painting for contractors.

If you are interested in hearing more about our research into the provision of floor coverings in social housing, please read our report or contact Aileen for a chat at aileen@longleigh.org