Agenda Reports Pack (Public) 15/10/2012, 19.00 - Meetings ...

Building a Housing Ladder of Opportunity - Housing StrategySection 3 - Tackle Economic and SocialPolarisationKey Facts - Hammersmith & Fulham:• Has an average of 36% social housing compared to a London averageof 24%• Has 10, 238 households on the Council’s Housing Needs Register• Is a polarised borough with some of the wealthiest and disadvantagedwards in LondonSee Annex 1 for more informationTackling Economic and Social Polarisation3.1 Hammersmith & Fulham is one of the most prosperous boroughs in thecountry, but paradoxically suffers greatly from social and economicdeprivation. Concentrations of poverty exist on our council estates.Causes of this poverty include embedded economic and social underachievementin areas where the inter-related challenges ofunemployment; low educational attainment; and benefit dependencyhas caused social and economic exclusion to become a norm.3.2 Through a range of interventions, the Council intends to change thissituation. This will partly be achieved through regeneration anddevelopment interventions described in Section 2, where more workinghouseholds will be able to access new low cost home ownershiphousing. The Council also intends to promote a reinvigorated right tobuy scheme. But in terms of who is allocated to affordable housing inthe future, the Council intends to give greater priority to workinghouseholds; ex armed services personnel; and other households whoare making a community contribution.Affordable Housing and the Ladder of Opportunity3.3 A central theme to the Council’s approach to affordable rented housingis to consider it as an important and flexible segment of the localhousing market which provides a platform to other types ofaccommodation. Social housing for rent historically has been allocatedto households in acute housing need and in some instances housingcrisis where their personal circumstances require Council support.Affordable housing for rent offers support and shelter for people whoare experiencing such housing need or crisis. However, the Councilwould expect over time many, but not all, such tenants’ needs tostabilise and that they will be able to move on to other housing options.12Page 372