Dismantling social housing stigma

The heartbreaking story of Awaab Ishak served as a wake-up call – a stark reminder of the real-world consequences when residents’ concerns are ignored. His tragic death sparked a movement for change, prompting the government to pledge new rules to hold landlords accountable. Yet, while these changes are crucial, Awaab’s story reveals a deeper issue –one that legislation alone can’t mend. The problem extends beyond mould and disrepair; it lies in the repeated disregard for the Ishak family’s complaints. At its core, its’ about stigma and the way society views social housing.

What effect does stigma have on social housing residents?

Stigma isn’t just an abstract concept; it seeps into everyday life, shaping how residents are treated by their landlords and perceived by society at large. Upcoming research from the G15 group of landlords reveals that nearly half of social housing residents feel stigmatised. Those who experienced stigma were significantly less likely to recognise the benefits of social housing, with only 36% strongly agreeing that it had a positive impact.

Dr Mercy Denedo and Dr Amanze Ejiogu’s research into stigma took them to painful places, uncovering how it led to “feelings of anger, exclusion, and a diminished sense of self-worth”. Their findings speak to the quiet devastation of stigma: it ‘intrudes into (people’s) everyday lives, impacting their quality of life and life chances’.

The G15 research echoes these findings, showing that many residents feel compelled to hide their addresses or embarrassed to invite guests into their homes. It reminds us that stigma doesn’t just alter how others see social residents; it changes how they see themselves.

Denedo and Ejiogu’s research also shines a light on the wider consequences of stigma. When social housing residents are isolated from different social groups, it creates fertile ground for ‘othering’. If we view social housing as a refuge for those who have ‘succumbed’ to circumstance, it becomes easier to see residents as fundamentally different and undeserving.

But where does this stigma come from?

For years, social housing has been portrayed as a last resort – a place for those who have ‘failed’ to navigate the private housing market. This perception is reinforced by policies that promote home ownership, and media portrayals and political rhetoric that paints social housing and its residents as ‘undesirable’ and ‘burdensome’.

These perceptions matter. They can influence the standard of service tenants receive from their landlords, health care providers and the police. They can affect how complaints from social housing residents are handled, and the outcomes that follow. They can push people to the margins – not only from their neighbours and communities, but from the very institutions set up to serve them.

Partnering with residents to dismantle social housing stigma

While the government’s efforts to address housing standards are a step in the right direction, real change must come from within the sector itself. Some social landlords are proving that a different approach is possible. At L&Q, we launched an ambitious resident involvement programme in 2021, focusing on building true partnerships with residents, and restoring accountability to residents at every level of the organisation.

Through this approach, we are aiming to redefine the landlord-resident relationship, shifting from a top-down model, to one where residents have a meaningful voice in decision-making. As outlined in our ‘A Partnership of Equals’ report, this is more than just a slogan. It’s a commitment to treating residents as equal partners, recognising the value of their perspectives in managing their homes.

The results are promising: residents have played a key role in improving processes around complaints, mould and damp, and have even influenced our recruitment practices. And more importantly, we’ve learnt that when residents are treated as equals, the stigma around social housing starts to fade.

This experience reveals an important lesson: when residents are listened to, respected, and seen as partners, it changes how they feel about themselves, their homes and their place in society. In the conversation around stigma, this feels like the missing piece of the puzzle.

Going beyond policy changes

Regulation is an important first step, as it holds landlords accountable. However, addressing stigma goes beyond policy changes; it requires a cultural shift. Too often, social landlords unintentionally reinforce stigma through inadequate service and distant relationships with residents. Yet, we are also the ones with the power to reshape misperceptions.

When considering how to dismantle stigma, we must keep the broader social context in mind. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s annual Community Life Survey consistently highlights a troubling gap: a disconnect between people’s desire to influence local decisions and their ability to do so. In 2020/21, 54% of people said it was important to feel they could influence decisions in their local area, yet only 27% believed they could. This gap leaves many feeling voiceless, which can have profound implications for the cohesion of our society. It also weakens institutions and leads to poorer decision-making.

The 2019 report by the Local Trust further identified "left behind" communities across England, many located in post-war social housing estates at the edges of towns and cities. In these areas, social landlords are among the few visible institutions left standing.

While social landlords cannot single-handedly heal such deep-rooted societal divides, we still have a part to play. We know that some are cynical about our role in society. This makes it all the more essential for us to actively work to reverse this trend. The government can support these efforts by promoting positive representations of social housing and backing initiatives that put residents at the heart of decision-making.

It's clear that there's more as a sector we can do work in partnership with residents. It's key that the government's new long-term housing strategy places resident's voices at its core.

Social housing residents deserve to be seen, valued, and heard. They should be able to live without the weight of stigma and feel pride in their homes. The last government promised to tackle this issue, but it remained little more than a footnote in the Social Housing White Paper. Real change requires leadership from landlords, supported by a government committed to lasting solutions. By working together—landlords, residents, and policymakers—we can build a future where social housing is not just a place to live, but a community where everyone feels respected.