Which comes first, health or home?

The UK faces a multitude of challenges in ensuring the health and wellbeing of its citizens. With 36% of households living below the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s minimum income standard, 24 million people struggle to meet basic needs and participate fully in society. Working with the UCL Institute of Health Equity, I collaborate with local areas across the country to reduce health inequalities. The Marmot Places initiative focuses on three key priorities: improving incomes through good work, reducing housing deprivation, and improving outcomes for children. 

Housing is central to these efforts. The current market is plagued by unaffordability, forcing many families into overcrowding or temporary accommodation and contributing to declining fertility rates in cities. Building social housing at scale, alongside key worker schemes and short-let accreditation, can increase access to affordable homes but delivering this at scale remains a significant challenge. 

Living in cold, damp homes is linked to a range of negative physical and mental health outcomes, including increased winter deaths. Retrofitting buildings to meet Energy Performance Certificate C standards is critical, but only effective when paired with adequate ventilation. Currently, Marmot Places cover, or are in the process of covering, 43% of the UK population, embedding cross-sector collaboration to address social determinants of health locally. 

A sufficiency approach is needed, prioritising the resources individuals and communities require to thrive. This includes access to good-quality housing, childcare, education, reliable public transport, green spaces, and environments free from discrimination. By focusing on prevention rather than cure, housing providers can reduce the root causes of health inequalities, rather than waiting for people to become ill. 

Legislation can also play a role. Awaab’s Law, which requires social landlords to address mould and damp promptly, is a model for tackling environmental risks in homes. Future regulations could cover emerging risks, such as overheating linked to climate change. Housing providers like Clarion must anticipate these trends by defining what sufficiency means for the homes they provide. 

Clarion is well positioned to lead in creating healthy communities. By adopting Marmot Principles, it could become a ‘Marmot organisation,’ working with local authorities and stakeholders to set priorities tailored to each area. For example, Clarion could focus on housing, income, and employment as key levers for improving resident wellbeing. Embedding these principles internally ensures that Clarion staff also have the resources to maintain their own health and resilience. 

A lack of a national health and equalities strategy remains a challenge. While policies such as the increasing minimum wage and progressive taxation help, local areas are constrained by limited resources. Long-term planning, spanning at least 20 years, can enable local authorities, in partnership with housing providers like Clarion, to create sustainable, healthy communities for generations to come. 

Ultimately, housing providers are central to addressing health inequalities. By taking a comprehensive approach that combines sufficiency, long-term planning, and collaboration with local partners, Clarion can play a pivotal role in creating resilient, thriving communities where residents can live healthier, fuller lives.