Leaders from 15 Housing Partnership Network member organizations held a three-day exchange in London in April with chief executives of 11 British housing associations. Additional participants from the U.S. included Debra Schwartz of the MacArthur Foundation, Bill Kelly, president of Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future, Bob Whittlesey, and three Network staff. Other U.K. participants were David Orr, the chief executive of the British National Housing Federation; Richard McCarthy, director general for housing and planning at the Department of Communities and Local Government; Ken Walker, who coordinates the exchange on the British side; and two consultants. In addition, the president of PowerHousing Australia, a recently-formed Australian group modeled on the Network, participated as a special guest.

Discussion over the three days focused on areas that impact both the British and American affordable housing sectors. There was an extended discussion of the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis and its significant effect in England, where as a result securitization of mortgage loans has virtually stopped. Performance metrics and certification was also a key area for discussion, with a presentation of Britain’s customer satisfaction certification system. There was also interest in organizational performance and benchmarking, with the British eager to learn about the work being done through the Strength Matters initiative in the U.S. Of major theme throughout the three days was sustainable development and operations. British housing groups have made great strides in green building and the government has set out very aggressive goals for zero carbon development over the next ten years. Finally, asset management, property management, and resident services were also discussed in some depth.

In addition to the roundtable discussions, which were held at the National Housing Federation’s office, there were various site visits. These included a trip to the Gallions Housing Association’s office, a tour of Ecopark, their urban regeneration development at Tavy Bridge, and a chance to see their 24-hour customer service center. There were also tours of the Peabody Housing Trust’s BedZed (Beddington Zero Energy Development) project, and Newlon Housing Trust’s Arsenal Regeneration Development around the Arsenal Emirates football stadium. Also, Labor Member of Parliament Stephen Pound hosted a reception and dinner for the group at the House of Commons.

“It is clear that both countries have a lot to learn from each other—from the entrepreneurial spirit of the US to the well-established schemes for developing and managing large-scale social housing in the UK,” noted Tony Cotter, chief executive of Gallions Housing Association in southeast London, and one of the founding members of the exchange. “I’m sure with lots still to discover from each other the group will go from strength to strength.” Plans are underway to deepen the British-American exchange beyond the face-to-face meetings and to reconvene in the spring of 2009.

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