Working with our partners to tackle the housing crisis
We are in the midst of a national housing crisis, with London at its epicentre. Despite Waltham Forest’s excellent track record of building affordable homes, thousands of residents still live in unsuitable properties – their health, wellbeing, and life chances are adversely affected by their living conditions.
Waltham Forest Council is tackling the housing crisis head on. We are developing local responses to national housing challenges - but we must be realistic, we cannot solve the crisis alone, and we are not the only organisation responsible for addressing the housing need in the borough.
We will work closely with public, private, and civil society partners who share our vision for change, to give residents the secure housing they and their families need and deserve. Housing associations provide over 17,500 homes in the borough, a significant proportion of which are affordable. Our new Housing Compact plan outlines how we will work with over 30 housing associations, to improve the supply, quality and service standards of social landlords in Waltham Forest.
Earlier this month, our Housing Compact Partners met to discuss the borough’s housing priorities, and how we can tackle the challenges that the borough faces head on. The meeting was co-chaired by Councillor Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, and Ruth Davison, CEO of Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association.
Over the next five years, the Housing Compact will be fundamental to the successful delivery of our new plans, which seek to address the key housing challenges and build on the recommendations of our Affordable Housing Commission. Our key priorities are to:
- Do all we can to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.
- Help people get homes that meet their needs, even as their circumstances change.
- Make sure that every home in the borough is safe and affordable to heat.
- Show how development improves neighbourhoods and build fairer, stronger, and safer communities.
Councillor Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, said “I’m proud to be introducing our new Housing Compact. Housing Associations have a long history of working with local authorities to meet housing needs and the new Compact sets out how we will be working together to provide high quality and genuinely affordable homes, providing the essential foundation for residents to live a happy and healthy life.
“Residents are at the heart of this Compact, as the council and our Housing Association partners seek to deliver an excellent housing service with high resident satisfaction. Working together we aim to support residents through many of life’s challenges, whether this is health inequality, employment, training, help with the cost-of-living or developing a robust response to anti-social behaviour and community safety. I look forward to developing this partnership with all the council’s stakeholders as the Compact progresses.”
Ruth Davison CEO of Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association and Co-Chair Waltham Forest Housing Compact, said “It has been my pleasure to co-chair Waltham Forest’s Housing Compact over the past five years. So much has changed during that time – for residents, the local authority, and housing associations – that this fresh approach and focus is both much needed and most welcome.
The 2024 - 2029 Waltham Forest Housing Compact was approved by Cabinet and Full Council in April 2024 and builds on the first Compact launched in 2019.
How are we going to achieve our plans
