Delivering Healthy Housing for All in a Challenging Economic Climate

The importance of good quality housing for the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities has long been understood. Ensuring that good quality housing is available to all has never been simple and currently look more complex than ever.

A team of researchers funded by the NIHR School for Public Health Research are holding a half day workshop for people with an interest and involvement in the housing system. The Workshop will be held at Sheffield Hallam University’ on the 5^th November and will bring together people with different types of involvement in housing services and housing policy. The workshop will complement a similar one previously held in London.  Its purpose will be to:

1. Discuss recent national policies affecting housing provision and housing services – with a focus on less advantaged sections of the population.
2. Identify approaches to planning and implementing housing policies that maximise benefits across the population – with a focus on what can be done now?

The workshop will be participant-led and is intended to bring together people from different housing-relevant sectors. The focus will be on group discussions and networking. We want to better understand how the housing system is changing, what options/mechanisms are currently available to improve housing equity, and identify innovative practices and initiatives. There will be brief presentations summarising recent housing policy, and highlighting examples of good practice, to aid discussion.

The workshop is part of a broader programme of research looking at how place-based strategies to reduce health inequalities can be delivered in lean economic circumstances. The housing study is led by Matt Egan, Elizabeth McGill and Dalya Marks at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in collaboration with colleagues at the Universities of Lancaster, Liverpool, Sheffield, Northumbria, Cambridge and Newcastle. Participants are asked to consent to facilitators making notes of key discussion points which will feed into future research planning and outputs including the creation of a ‘system map’ of the housing system. Individuals will not be identified in published outputs. There will be no audio recording.

Who should attend this event: Practitioners working in national or local government housing policy or provision, as well as third sector and private organisations and housing researchers.

Cost: No cost. A buffet lunch will be provided from 12.30pm.

Participation: If you are interested in participating, please confirm your attendance by emailing Matt Egan and Mirela Andreeva at    sphr@lshtm.ac.uk