"I Just Thought, I'm Home"
Meet the real people living in social housing
In a secluded cul-de-sac in Beighton to the east of Sheffield, Neil Schofield sits in his sunny living room, watching television. His home is warm and welcoming, with folders of papers stacked neatly in the corner.
For years, the British media has treated social housing, and the people within it, with contempt. They are portrayed as lazy, rude, or even criminal, but Neil, and countless others across Sheffield expose this as a baseless stereotype.
Neil, 69, came to social housing after a divorce a few years ago and does not regret his decision. He now works part-time as a first responder.
Neil chose to live in social housing to improve his quality of life rather than struggle to pay a mortgage in private accommodation.
He says: “My ex-father in law lived next door and knew this property had come up. I moved in soon after.”
Indeed, around Neil’s house there are a mix of modern social houses and private accommodation. This gives it a close community feel.
Neil says: "When it's a nice day you can sit with people outside and chat. We all know each other, it's a really positive environment.”
It's clear that this community is not the lazy and dilapidated one portrayed in the media.
Neil says: “I think the attitude of many people now is that social housing has become more acceptable. But there’s bound to be areas where people look down upon it.
“You can tell where the attitude changes, people are looking at you. You’ve got to be very careful.
“I would think there are people in the affluent areas of Sheffield who have a different view of social housing than I do. A lot of it is down to the lifestyle and education of people.
“You’re still going to get the people who live in very expensive areas that look down on social housing. The only way to change that is to keep talking to people and communicating.”
How social housing went from 'for heroes' to zeros
In the 1800s, the less well off were forced to live in workhouses. This all changed after the First World War, when the government urged councils to provide ‘homes fit for heroes’.
In the 1950’s new social housing tenants were met by Harold Macmillan in jubilant fashion. It was a far cry from the modern outlook on social housing.
Council housing became more mainstream under Wilson’s Labour government in the 1960s, with 1.3m homes being built between 1965 and 1970.
Margaret Thatcher’s government discouraged councils from building additional social housing and introduced the right to buy programme.
Since then, the Blair government transitioned some responsibility of social housing from councils to housing associations, such as South Yorkshire Housing Association.
Social housing has slowly declined in the public image from creating proud homeowners to supporting the lower classes.
Sue's Story - From living in the City to Social Housing
Hannah Thornton, Communications & Toolkit Officer at SYHA says: “Before I started working at SYHA, I didn’t know a great deal about social housing at all - not out of ignorance but just because it wasn’t something I’d had a great deal of involvement in before.
Craft Crew is a project pioneered by Sue and backed by SYHA
“Growing up, there was a council estate in my hometown called Grange Park - and the whisperings around my school were always: ‘if you live on Grange then you’re bad news’.
“No one ever challenged that view in school. One day, a lady told me that Grange Park was a lovely place to live and bring up a family - that people were kind and there was always an amazing sense of community amongst neighbours.
“It was the first time anyone had ever said anything about Grange Park that wasn’t awful and it really made me realise that the rumours that people were spreading weren’t actually based on real life experiences of living there.
A 2014 BBC Newsnight package responding to Benefits Street
“It was just years of misconceptions that were being constantly shouted louder than any voices saying anything different.
“We shouldn’t be judging people on where they live, because ultimately that has little to do with the type of person you are. It’s totally unfair that social housing tenants are judged firstly on their home, rather than who they are.
“Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home."
A video produced as part of the See The Person campaign
SYHA is a founding member of the ‘See The Person’ campaign which is partnered with the National Union of Journalists to give tenants a fairer voice. This became part of the government social housing white paper.
It's clear that social housing is a viable option inhabited by good people who work hard.
Whether its Sue's daughter Grace having a safe home to grow up in, or a chance to improve Neil's quality of life, social housing does not define those who inhabit it.
The stigma around social housing is not going to disappear overnight, but the new dawn of truth is on the horizon.
