JOBS & CAREERS SPRING 2018 - 162

I

f you like the idea of
helping vulnerable people,
housing could be a sector
to consider as a career. You
can make a real difference
to the lives of the people
who need help most. While
the work isn't always easy,
the roles available are varied, there are
many opportunities to progress and the
sense of job satisfaction can be high.
According to the Chartered Institute
of Housing, more than 150,000 people
work in the affordable housing industry
in the UK, mostly for local authorities and
housing associations. Housing jobs can also
be found with cooperatives, housing trusts
and voluntary organisations, in the private
sector and public service departments
such as NHS trusts and social services.

Not enough stock

One of the key things to keep in mind
is that the housing industry is as much
1 6 2 /// J O B S & C A R E E R S

As many as one
in four people
are waiting for
social housing in
parts of London

about the people who require the houses
as the structures themselves. The
economic climate over the past decade
has caused an increase in demand for
social housing - properties that are let to
low-income households or people in need
of a home, either by not-for-profit housing
associations or by local authorities.
There are 1.8 million people on social
housing waiting lists and this figure is rising.
As many as one in four people are waiting
for social housing in parts of London,
while it is affecting one in six in other
parts of the country. There are simply not
enough "affordable" homes and, as a result,
people unable to get on to the property
ladder are turning to the rental market.

Challenging work

Private rents have risen steadily over the
past five years, and are expected to rise
faster than house prices over the next
five, according to the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors. These increasing



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JOBS & CAREERS SPRING 2018

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