European Social Index

Summary: This project involves co-developing a European Social Index to gain a more complete picture of the people occupying social housing stock in Europe and thereby improve tenant services.

Description: This project involves co-developing a European Social Index to gain a more complete picture of the people occupying housing stock, thereby adding to the statistical information available about social housing in Europe and allowing housing associations to improve their strategies and programmes, in turn improving residents’ lives.

Partners:

  • Lead Partner: Clarion Housing Group, UK
  • Radius, Ireland
  • Clúid Housing Association, Ireland
  • Paris Habitat, France
  • Vilogia, France
  • Gewobag, Germany

Objectives:

Housing Association Clarion developed The Clarion Index: an annual survey about tenants wellbeing, how government policies affect tenants’ lives, and what is important to residents and the communities they live in. The information gathered for the index is used to better understand residents, what services they may need in future and to target existing initiatives. It is already used by other British housing associations for benchmarking. We have a much more complete picture of the housing stock across Europe than we do of the people occupying such housing. 

The aim of this project is, therefore, to:

  • Create a European benchmark, allowing for cross-border comparison. 
  • Add to the statistical information available about social housing in Europe, of which a large part is gathered and analyzed by Housing Europe (State of Social Housing in Europe).  
  • Increase our collective understanding and highlight where we can learn from one another.
  • Fill in the missing pieces: housing stock, tenure mix, resident opinion, resident well being, populations, house-building statistics etc.

To do this, the Social Index steering group (part of the Social Topic Group) will co-create a European social index (behavioural and attitudinal survey of residents) to be rolled out across European-wide housing associations.

Results:

The project has only just begun, but when it’s completed:

  • Housing associations will have a better picture of resident profiles, how they can improve
  • residents lives and strategies e.g. digital strategy, disability inclusion, etc. moving forward
  • Demonstrates social value of organisation
  • Improve efficiency targeting services
  • Staff and residents understand the resident population better – empowerment of both
  • parties
  • Improve organisational reputation
  • International benchmarking and cross border exchange of results and policies