“Balancing the books: Can housing associations afford to continue investing in communities?” Dr P. A. Jones

OVERVIEW  Approaches to community investment  Longitudinal research approach  The importance of context  Findings  Tensions in the housing association sector  Repositioning  Value revision  A theory of fields  Hypothesis

APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY INVESTMENT CORE BUSINESS STRATEGY NEIGHBOUR HOODS PROJECTS

LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH APPROACH: INTEGRATED STRATEGY Sector intelligence SOUNDING BOARD ‘TOP 100’ Critical FRIENDS’ FORUM DELPHI PANEL

Code No. Region Stock Size RestructuringPartnership Working 1South/South West34,000Merging 4>1 HA consortium network/with TSOs to support community infrastructure 2North West14,000Internal job lossesCSR best practice groups/TSOs 3 Yorkshire and Humber 21,500Merging Community groups LA/DWP/HAs/Colleges/Employers/Schools 4South West9000Recently mergedLAs/Police/Locality/TSOs/ Residents Groups 5North East2250Recent partnershipKey LA partners/TSOs 6London/ SE/E Mids38,000Rationalised 4>1National TSOs – partnering to avoid duplication 6a 7 London/S/E/W England 5000 Stable in rural settings National TSOs 8London/SE/W Mids 65, HAs History of increasing group structure LAs/HAs/CVOs 9East London8500Restructuring Community Empowerment network/HAs/community groups 9a 10West Midlands9000StableTSOs/Job Centre+/LAs/service providers 11North West18000Product of merger 2010 LAs/HAs/service providers/networks

The importance of CONTEXT  Removal of all but highest level of regulation  Cuts in Government subsidy  Cuts to public services  Welfare Reform  The Localism Act

FINDINGS 2013: about community investment strategy in the housing association sector  THE IMPORTANCE OF VALUES TO INDEPENDENT VALUE-LED BUSINESSES  THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE IN A FAST-MOVING CONTEXT  THE NEED FOR SUPPORT IN BALANCING TENSIONS AROUND INVESTMENT  THE DIVERSITY OF NEEDS BASED ON SIZE, LOCATION AND SPREAD  THE NEED FOR INSIGHT INTO THE WIDER SOCIO-ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE  THERE IS A NEED FOR UP-TO-DATE SECTOR-RELATED KNOWLEDGE & EXPERTISE  THE NEED TO LINK METHODS OF ASSESSMENT WITH THEIR PURPOSE  THAT PARTNERSHIP WORKING/LEADERSHIP ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO THE SECTOR  THE NEED FOR A FORUM WHERE GOOD PRACTICES CAN BE SHARED/DEVELOPED

FINDINGS 2014: about community investment strategy in the housing association sector  Values underpinning community investment located in bigger picture of Welfare Reform encompassing poverty, unemployment and social justice  More systemic approach to CI  More measurement of impact of CI  Closer partnering and sharing of resources to deliver CI  Priorities have not changed only approach to delivery  Strong leadership identified as important  Some refocus on individual tenants rather than community-wide; some parallel strategic working

Delphi Panel – early findings  Still strong bias towards a social ethos/welfare orientation/community-led focus/community-wide as well as tenant-defined services  Predominance towards ties with specific localities  Noticeable increased interest in social enterprise  Striking preference for setting own priorities as opposed to Government- led regulatory boundaries BUT  New partnership (including with local authorities)  Declared leadership positions (e.g. Taking environmental responsibility) “We are repositioning to have social justice at the heart of what we do “ (26D)

TENSIONS IN THE HOUSING ASSOCIATION SECTOR Social caseBusiness case Reduced funding Rent arrears Housing supply Community rights agenda Sustainable communities

Values into collaborative action Values enacted within existing collaborations Positioning and repositioning taking on new roles Resource distribution and decision-making conflicting analysis and rationale contextual barriers and drivers New collaborations Source: Author’s data analysis and interpretation

A theory of fields Fligstein & McAdam (2012)  to understand the nature of social change and social order  brings together insights from social movement theory, organisational theory, economic and political sociology – theory of social organisation and strategic action  “ strategic action fields ” - concepts:  nested, embedded, connected, intermeshed, inter-dependent  where all collective actors play  incumbents and challengers – legitimised meaning making, sharing consensus, collective identity  social skilled actors  internal governance units  role of the state  exogenous shocks  episodes of contention  periods of settlement

Housing Associations – strategic action fields?  Collaborative meaning making  Employability and worklessness  Affordable rental products  Social value  Social impact  Diversification  Socially skilled actors (2012:112)  “skilled actors will manipulate the same symbols, identities and tactics that have proved successful in the past”  “The largest groups might still be able to impose an order, albeit one that is based on different principles”  “Those defending the status quo can accept a new order and adopt some new position in that order”  Governance units  Tools and indicators

Housing Associations – strategic action fields? (cont)  Role of the state  Creating predictability and security  Legitimising non-state strategic action fields  Gradual withdrawal since 2010 – Big Society rhetoric  Contention and crisis  Welfare Reform and PSR ‘biggest changes sector has experienced’  settlement  more freedom to self-regulate  routes to alternative finance and funding  sense of crisis (e.g. Universal Credits delayed) averted  Is there a period of readjustment to be identified between contention and settlement?

Hypothesis Because the state’s response to economic downturn has been one of withdrawal from non-state fields; the social housing sector, as a set of interconnected and nested strategic action fields, has been able to create new meaning to describe their role, values, function and identity. It has begun to self-regulate; reposition & self-define and take a greater leadership role within the neighbourhoods it operates. Within this the social case for community investment rationale has become part of the business case for the majority of housing providers.