Event

Kineara’s founder, Maria Morgan, last night delivered a compelling keynote talk at the recent Healthy City Design International Congress, emphasising the critical need housing and health equity in our communities. The event, sponsored by Kineara’s partner Impact on Urban Health (IOUH), provided a platform for Maria to highlight Kineara’s mission and work, and to discuss the urgent need for meaningful collaboration between housing and health sectors.

In her thought-provoking speech, Maria Morgan emphasized the importance of focusing on the most “vulnerable” individuals within our communities. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the significance of our living spaces, highlighting the essential relationship between housing and health. During the pandemic, many communities experienced overcrowding, long-standing disrepair, loss of income, mental and physical health challenges, and financial concerns. Research shows that poor-quality housing has a significant impact on an individual’s health, costing the NHS billions each year.

Maria stressed the need for bold collaboration, learning from past mistakes, forward-thinking, and critical discussions regarding housing and health in challenging times, drawing attention to the fact that over 90% of Kineara’s clients experience high levels of stress and anxiety, leading to physical health issues, because of being housing insecure. She highlighted the importance of conferences like Healthy City Design in promoting urban renewal and health equity, where rich conversations and meaningful actions can take place.

The speech also drew attention to the basic human needs described by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, with an emphasis on the first tier, which includes shelter. In this tier, challenges such as air quality, food poverty, housing affordability, and safety were noted. Maria Morgan called for a stronger focus on addressing these most basic needs for better health outcomes, so everyone, including the most vulnerable, can go on to play an active role in addressing issues such as climate change and creating thriving cities and communities.

It was encouraging to hear a growing appreciation and active acknowledgement from the building planning, architecture, and Urban renewal arenas, of the link between health and housing, and their work with councils in considering wellbeing in the design process.

With Impact on Urban Health’s involvement in the conference, I’m hopeful we will begin to see a growing presence of cross-sector collaboration from ground roots organisation, housing associations, designers, architects, and of course the voice of the community, contributing to these important conversations.

Maria Morgan

Maria’s speech served as a powerful call to action. Kineara’s holistic approach, its dedication to supporting vulnerable communities, and its advocacy for the critical relationship between housing and health act as a blueprint towards achieving healthier and more equitable urban environments.

We were thrilled to host an insightful event at The Bridge in Southwark, London, bringing together an inspiring mix of landlords, support workers, and other council stakeholders from the Private Rented Sector. The event aimed to foster collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by all those involved in the rental market and included a performance by Cardboard Citizens. Here’s a recap of the key highlights and takeaways from the event.

Creating Stronger Connections

One of the most remarkable aspects of the event was the sense of community and camaraderie that permeated the room. Landlords, support workers, and council stakeholders engaged in open dialogues, exchanging ideas, and sharing experiences. The event provided a place for attendees to network and build meaningful connections that we hope have the potential to lead to long-term collaborations.

Making licensing work for landlords

Local licensing plays a crucial role in improving standards in the sector, and the financial schemes that are available as a result support landlords to promote sustainable investments in the Private Rented Sector. During the event, attendees had the opportunity to learn about various financial schemes available in the local area. These schemes offer assurance to landlords who may have concerns about renting to tenants receiving benefits or support services. but also contribute to the overall stability of the rental market.

Kineara’s Tenancy Sustainment Support

Attendees also gained insights into how landlords can work collaboratively with support services like Kineara to avoid the cost and stress of eviction. The tenancy sustainment approach not only benefits renters but also contributes to a positive and mutually beneficial landlord-tenant relationship.

Challenging Stigmas and Fostering Understanding

Challenging stereotypes is essential in creating a fair and equitable rental market. Cardboard Citizens led the group with moving and powerful monologues, which were created using the real input of a tenant and a local landlord we’ve worked with and brought to life. Through insightful discussions, the event addressed the stigmas held about both landlords and tenants receiving support services and animated the variety of ways tenants and landlords feel about the housing crisis and how they negotiate it. By challenging these preconceptions, it is hoped that attendees left the event with a renewed commitment to building inclusive communities and providing a supportive environment for all stakeholders in the Private Rented Sector.

Future Prospects

The success of event has inspired us to plan more engaging gatherings in the future. We are committed to continuing our efforts in empowering both landlords and renters, and facilitating partnerships between landlords, support workers, and council stakeholders. Future events will build upon the knowledge shared and create even greater opportunities for growth and collaboration in the rental market.

Kineara’s founder, Maria Morgan, commented:

“I left the PRS networking event feeling energised about the possibility of building a network where everyone in the room feels safe to share their views and leaves feeling heard. Whether you are a landlord, tenant, estate agent, Council or support service. It’s potentially the beginning of something special, where a versatile collection of voices can have meaning and add understanding to the challenging complex landscape of housing.”

A Word of Thanks

We extend our sincere gratitude to all attendees who made the event a resounding success. Your active participation, valuable insights, and enthusiasm contributed to the event’s vibrancy and impact. We would also like to express our appreciation to the organisers, speakers, and contributors for their support in delivering and facilitating a much-needed conversation.

Stay Connected

We encourage all attendees to stay connected with us for updates on future events, workshops, and networking opportunities. Let’s keep the conversations going and work together to create a stronger, more resilient Private Rented Sector.

We look forward to seeing you all at our future gatherings, and together, let’s continue to make a positive impact in the rental market.

If you would like to be invited to our next event, please email Sandra Axell at saxell@kineara.co.uk