Article originally printed in the Business Post, Sunday 8th October 2023
Everyone needs a roof over their heads and somewhere warm, safe and comfortable to call home – and the Housing Agency, a state-funded body, working mainly with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) works to meet the nation’s housing needs.
The agency’s work includes providing evidence-informed insights to help inform policy development and supporting policy implementation, enabling the delivery of housing for different groups and building capacity and agility across the housing sector.
As part of its remit to build capacity in the sector, the agency organised a Leadership in Housing Conference which took place on Friday, September 29 in Dublin Castle. It brought together senior housing professionals to network and engage with expert speakers.
The aim of the event was to inspire senior leaders in housing to bring about change with the key message being that leaders who are “impactful and agile” are crucial to ensuring the housing sector adapts to change and overcomes challenges to deliver new homes and vibrant communities.
Bob Jordan, chief executive of the Housing Agency, said that leaders in housing faced several challenges as they made decisions today which would impact Ireland’s long-term future. He said that it was important to incorporate social changes into housing stock for future generations. He invited delegates to “step outside their comfort zone” in order to deal with challenges.
“The purpose for the conference is to bring together leaders in the housing sector to discuss the type of leadership that will bring us through the challenges we are currently facing,” he said.
“The conference is an opportunity for attendees to stand back from their day jobs and think about how they are approaching leadership currently. The broad range of speakers from across all sectors provides an opportunity for us to move outside our own sector and start new conversations.”
Michael Carey, chairman of the Housing Agency, agreed and said that everyone in attendance could play a role in shaping the agenda for housing – and the leadership issues across both private and public sector were the same. He said that progress could only be made through “clarity of plan, allocation of resources and unambiguous monitoring of progress and consequently taking action when a plan is not making progress”.
“The Leadership in Housing conference is a real opportunity to bring together the best of our senior housing professionals working across the sector to give them an opportunity to share ideas and hear from expert speakers about the importance of effective leadership,” he said.
“As we all know, we face significant challenges in the housing sector – but effective leadership can have a profound impact on our progress in providing good quality, affordable homes in sustainable communities. We must strive to continue to implement innovative solutions, promote policy changes, and foster collaboration among various stakeholders.”
Pictured delivering his address during the second panel discussion at The Housing Agency’s Leadership in Housing conference was Dr Sam Tsemberis, clinical psychologist and founder of Housing First. Photo by Marc O'Sullivan
The speakers addressing the conference came from a broad range of professional backgrounds, both inside and outside the sector, and drew on their own personal experiences, while looking at the characteristics of effective and impactful leadership when facing complex issues.
These issues can cover a multitude of situations, each as relevant at the last – and Noeline Blackwell, chief executive at the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said that being a good leader and helping to make the right decisions was vital, regardless of the problems to be solved.
She said that it was important to focus on the people who “deserve to have their rights vindicated in a country which can afford it, and the need for a framework to voice it”.
“Although my experience is mostly outside the housing sector, the characteristics of a good leader are always the same,” she said. “What I’ve learned as a leader is the importance of keeping your focus on the bigger picture even when you are constantly reacting and are in a sector that somehow always feels like it’s in crisis.
“What is particularly relevant to me is coming to terms with the end of my time as a leader in my current role and how to make the transition, paving the way for those who are coming next. A good leader will never lose sight of the person at the centre of the work, especially when they are often on the outside of the conversation.”
With a lot of conversation on the importance of strong leadership, Eileen Patterson, board member of Clanmil Housing and Circle VHA said that being a good leader involved a number of important qualities including being calm, hopeful, positive and constant.
With a wealth of experience as a housing professional, Patterson is committed to the delivery of high quality, affordable housing and support services and said it was crucial to be able to set out a vision and strategy to achieve desired goals while empowering others to also lead and grow.
“I have had a long career in the housing sector in Northern Ireland where I have seen many changes,” she said. “What stands out to me when we talk about good leadership is the ability to lead through periods of growth. Growth and change can be exciting, but also risky and as leaders we need to be able to express this to staff around us and lead them through it confidently.
“As the demand for housing continues to grow, so too will the number of those working in the sector. As leaders, when building new teams and departments, we need to be cognisant of the needs of our staff, empowering them with training and professional development to become leaders in their own right.”
Also speaking at the event was Mushtaq Khan, of the Housing Diversity Network, who relayed the importance of training when it came to becoming a diverse leader. Lucy Cronin, vice president of EU public policy at Amazon delivered an impassioned speech on the barriers women could face in leadership roles, and how organisations could strive to address these, and Dr Sam Tsemberis, founder of Housing First, discussed how social movements required leadership at every stage and the importance of representing the people you served.
John Concannon, director general at the Department of Foreign Affairs, also observed the importance of authenticity in a leader’s message, and discussed his experience of working on the Wild Atlantic Way project, which involved collaboration with many different stakeholders.
Despite the many issues facing the sector at present, Grainia Long, chief executive, of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, said she was against the idea of it being in “permanent crisis”, and discussed why a positive mental attitude was important in order for real change to take place.
Indeed, according to Bob Jordan, the future is looking bright.
“In the midst of challenges, the innovation, progress and leadership within the sector is sometimes overlooked,” he said. “The work is complex and multifaceted, and the issues we currently face won’t be resolved with quick-fix solutions, but progress is happening. There are strong leaders across the entire sector who are working diligently and consistently to address housing needs.”
You can watch highlights from the conference in the video below.
