The Spring issue of WHQ is winging its way to readers and will be online this week. The focus is firmly on housing and young people but we also have an interview with housing and regeneration minister, a look forward to TAI and much, much more besides.
Thanks to a combination of insecure private tenancies, unaffordable rents and house prices, continuing cuts in housing support and social housing in short supply, the younger you are the more acute the housing crisis you face.
We kick off with Hugh Russell’s report on progress in the campaign to End Youth Homelessness Cymru but also have an international perspective as Tamsin Stirling looks back on her travels to study what’s happening on the same issue in the United States and Canada.
Sam Austin and Samantha Howells report back on the Wake up to the Changes project to find out what young people want from their housing. Is there a gap between what housing professionals think and what young people feel.
We hear about a range of different and innovative projects developed across Wales by housing associations, local authorities and the voluntary sector, including the latest on the Rooms 4U project and sharing and work going on in schools.
The message from Bron Afon’s Own 2 Feet…Living is that young people are very much the key to the solution. Lisa Charles explains more about the youth-led scheme that aims to support them into independence.
Seeing things from young people’s point of view has also been the key to Caerphilly’s improvements in its housing and homelessness provision for them. Sadie O’Connor reports.
The other major feature in this issue is an interview with housing and regeneration minister Rebecca Evans.
She explains more about her agenda across a wide range of different housing issues and gives us some clues on changes to come. It’s clear that she sees real scope for crossovers between housing and regeneration and her previous ministerial brief of social services and public health.
We take a detailed look at new developments in housing association governance with articles from the new vision developed by the Regulatory Board for Wales and the new code launched by Community Housing Cymru.
And we look ahead to TAI 2018 with a sneak preview of several of the sessions and a full guide to the conference in Cardiff from April 24 to 26.
The print version of the Winter issue of WHQ will be with subscribers in the next few days.
Some articles will be available free online but if you’d like to join our subscribers and secure your print copy plus full online access you can find more details here.