A Word from our Chair
There are a lot of people that give their time, effort and money to the work that PlaceShapers does. As I sit writing this and reflecting on the year gone by, and the challenges ahead, I find myself asking the question – is it worth it?
Customers are still struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, the housing ‘crisis’ is as prevalent as ever across the country and the economic challenges facing housing associations are probably even greater than 12 months ago.
Then I think about what we’ve actually been busy doing:
- Providing help to members through toolkits so that customers are better informed to deal with issues of mould and damp and more likely to engage with energy efficiency planned works.
- Speaking up in rooms that most individual PlaceShapers wouldn’t ordinarily have access to, to ensure that place-making, the voice of our customers and the work that our members do and the impact it has is heard loud and clear, including providing evidence at the select committee hearing on the financial stability of the housing association sector.
- Providing multiple forums for PlaceShapers and other like-minded organisations to share their knowledge, approach and views on the topics of the moment, whether that’s our Annual Conference showcasing members work or short notice sessions dealing with individual issues like the approach people are taking to mould and damp or rent setting levels.
- Collecting and using examples of what PlaceShapers do to support national campaigns we believe in, like ensuring politicians of all parties understand the impact the cost-of-living crisis on local communities.
In all the above work, we have sought to ensure that what we do does not duplicate the work of other national or regional networks. Where on occasion our interests or plans do overlap, we have formed partnerships with those organisations to share the work and multiply our impact. We are very conscious of the financial challenges faced by members and want to ensure what we offer provides value for money.
The impact of all the above work is that customers are helped by being better informed and through shared learning PlaceShapers members are better able to address the challenges they face. Those making decisions that affect us all are influenced by what our members are doing - we have used local member stories for national impact.
Having reflected on the above, I find myself feeling pleased but not satisfied. Pleased because it is clear to me that what we are doing is having an impact for good, furthering our members interests and priorities and helping improve the quality their customers lives. At the same time I am not satisfied because there are still so many challenges, some of which we know about, and if the last few years are anything to go by, some of which we do not yet know about. PlaceShapers can, and will do more to help.
So, in conclusion, thank you for however you have helped the work of PlaceShapers – we really could not do what we do without the collective support of everyone involved. We will continue to do everything we can to make sure that place-making is at the heart of decision-making and I find myself compelled to say – yes – it is absolutely worth the time and effort.
Matthew Walker, Chair
