Seventeen social housing providers form The North East Housing Partnership to deliver more social homes

A new group of 17 social housing providers in the North East has launched this week to address the urgent need for more affordable homes in the region.

The North East Housing Partnership (NEHP) will work with the new North East Mayoral Combined Authority to deliver housing that is not only providing homes for tenants but also a starting point for wider social, environmental and economic outcomes.

NEHP partners include housing associations, local authorities and arms-length management organisations (ALMOs).

The partners are Karbon Homes, Bernicia, believe housing, Castles & Coasts, Gentoo, Thirteen, North Star, Home Group, Livin, Durham Aged Mineworkers’ Homes Association, Tyne Housing, Johnnie Johnson Housing, South Tyneside Homes, Gateshead Council, North Tyneside Council, Northumberland County Council, and Newcastle City Council.

The NEHP will focus on four key themes: Regeneration, development and placemaking, Net zero and sustainability, Employability and social inclusion and Health, care and homelessness.

Alan Boddy, Chief Executive of Livin, said “We are delighted to partner with other North East social housing providers to work collectively to achieve our shared goals to improve communities. Devolution is a tremendous opportunity to transform the area and I am committed to working with the new Mayor to enhance our local areas and bring lasting, positive changes for our region and customers."

Paul Fiddaman, Chair of the North East Housing Partnership, said: “As a partnership, we hold onto a simple belief that a house is more than just a roof over your head. It’s something you can build a life around. The evidence is clear that good quality homes is intrinsically linked with a number of social outcomes, such as education, health and employment, and devolution presents a significant opportunity to address these disparities and build our region better. With new powers and funding, managed and delivered close to local needs, we have the opportunity to take on some of the deep-seated problems that have long held us back. However, to make a real success of devolution, anchor institutions across the region need to get behind it, lend their enthusiasm and expertise, and align their own work and investment with that of the new combined authority. That’s what the North East Housing Partnership is all about.”

Combined, the 17 partners own and manage over 214,000 homes in the region, housing around one in six households in the new mayoral combined authority area.

The concept of the partnership mirrors that of similar partnerships in other combined authority areas, such as the Greater Manchester Housing Partnership and the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership.

The NEHP has collaborated on a prospectus for change entitled ‘Building Better for the North East’.