Rejuvenating the social housing brand | Housing network | Guardian Professional

Rejuvenating the social housing brand | Housing network | Guardian Professional

The implicit question hanging over this year's CIH conference in Manchester was what exactly is social housing for? The sector's future is being hotly contested by powerful political and trade constituencies on issues such as affordability of rents, who social housing should be for, how it should be allocated and the extent of capital and revenue subsidy.

For those of us who care that social housing retains a non-commercial aim, we must actively contribute to developing the sector's brand. There needs to be a better alignment between the sector's image and its social and cultural identity.

Harvard Kennedy School recently published Idea, a new conceptual framework for branding in the non-profit sector. Idea – which stands for integrity, democracy, ethics and affinity – seeks to guide third sector branding so that it links with actual social impact, reflects the sector's mission and stays true to intrinsic values.

But building a powerful brand is about more than creating a strong positive perception in the minds of stakeholders – tenants and communities. It must also reflect all the tangible benefits of the brand in terms of delivery on the ground, the highest possible ethics in governance and the inclusion of stakeholders in the decision making process.