Why the Benefit to Society campaign has our support

01/05/2018

Nearly one in every five people live in social housing – yet many feel stigmatised precisely because of where they live. In a recent survey, 90% of tenants felt the media presents a negative stereotype of social housing tenants – a portrayal of laziness and irresponsibility which does not match their own experiences. Benefit to Society is a new campaign seeking to challenge the negative stereotype by giving a voice to tenants – encouraging everyone to ‘see the person’, not the stereotype.

Our Chief Executive, Rick Williams, explains why the campaign is so important: “At a time when so much of the press and TV coverage is feeding the stigma around social housing, the Benefit to Society campaign is a timely and necessary call for change. Our own positive experience of our tenants recognises the many ways in which they contribute to their communities and society in general.”

In signing up to the scheme, we pledge that:

“We support the Benefit to Society campaign and want to see an end to unhelpful and unfair stereotypes of social housing tenants. We will refute stereotypes where we see or hear them and will promote the great work and volunteering that is carried out by tenants in our area and nationally. We will work with staff so they understand the reasons for this pledge and the importance of the campaign. We will use the Fair Press for Tenant guideline in communications.”

Over the coming months, we hope to work with our tenants, through a variety of activities, to showcase the positive stories of social housing tenants.

Do you have a story to share? We’d love to hear from you about your experiences and how they challenge the stereotype. Contact Rachel on rc@cornerstonehousing.net or call 01392 273462.

To read more about the campaign, visit: http://benefittosociety.co.uk/