Co-op housing apex prepares to launch its Four Million Homes campaign

‘The programme will drive a process of cultural change in the social housing sector leading to a better balance of power between landlords and residents’

The Confederation of Co-operative Housing (CCH) has announced the pre-launch campaign for its Four Million Homes programme, designed as “a catalyst for change in social housing”

The programme, which will offer “free knowledge, guidance and training on resident rights and how to stand up for them“, fully launches on Wednesday (19 April). The new training package is open to anyone living in social housing in England.

Funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities with a £500,000 grant, it will be delivered by CCH with its partner organisation, Public Participation Consultation & Research (PPCR). They will roll out a new training package open to anyone living in social housing in England.

CCH says the programme “will drive a process of cultural change in the social housing sector leading to a better balance of power between landlords and residents. It will also help to improve residents’ awareness of their rights to raise complaints and to access the services of the Housing Ombudsman”.

Four Million Homes includes an information campaign on social media, 24 monthly webinars on a wide range of relevant and current topics – starting with damp and mould in May and anti social behaviour in June.

Eight accredited face-to-face training modules will be available across England from May 2023; these sessions will be delivered in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Newcastle and Nottingham. Online training videos will be available on the website from September 2023.

The campaign will also encouragesresidents to sign up for social media, join the Four Million Homes Resident Sounding Board, and to work with the social housing sector and their landlords to affect change.

The launch event will be held online at 3pm on Wednesday 19 April, with registration available on the Four Million Homes website.