A PROJECT is currently underway at UK retailer, Carpetright, to improve the lives of families living in social housing across the UK. 

The Social Housing Support Initiative has been developed by the brand’s partnerships team over the past 12 months, in response to the high number of vulnerable people being left living with bare floors. Current regulation means landlords aren’t required to provide flooring outside kitchens and bathrooms and Carpetright’s scheme has been designed to enable landlords to provide flooring across their portfolios nationwide in the hope of easing this ongoing problem. 

Partnerships are already underway with Southern Housing, Sanctuary Homes and Bromford Homes where more than 1,000 tenants have already benefited from flooring including carpet, vinyl and safety flooring. Main areas of support include: 

• supplying flooring at empty properties in preparation for new tenants 
• grants for flooring via Carpetright’s e-gift cards  
• providing flooring specifications for new social housing during their initial build and outfit phases.  

With nationwide coverage provided by its store network, Carpetright is well positioned to continue establishing strategic partnerships, providing flooring to tenants easily and making it more accessible for Social Landlords wishing to help their tenants up and down the country. 

One of Carpetright’s biggest partners is Sanctuary Homes, who provides special gift cards to new tenants in a bid to help them pay for flooring at their local Carpetright. 

Emily Scott, social value development officer, said: ‘It’s easy to take things like carpets and curtains for granted. Our most recent initiative, Warm Welcome, allows us to work with partners to improve the experience of many new residents settling into social housing. The project is fully funded through our supply chain partners such as Carpetright, and we’ve already had more than £60,000 pledged in support.’  

Kevin Barret, ceo of Nestware Holdings, is committed to growing an efficient partnerships network with the Social Housing sector. ‘Too often people are left living in terrible conditions due to the current regulations and the difficulties that social landlords face in providing flooring for their tenants. A recent survey suggested 1.2m people in the UK have no carpet or flooring in their bedrooms and living areas – an unimaginable situation in cold winter months.’ 

Feedback about the initiative has so far been positive. One tenant from Southern Housing, who received flooring from Carpetright, comments on the positive impact this has had on her family’s physical and mental health. ‘You don’t know how much having these carpets has made a difference. I would not have been able to do this myself and already it has changed everything.
‘I don’t feel like I’m living in a squat, which was affecting my mental health, and now hopefully when the cold sets in it won’t affect my skin condition or my daughter’s bone condition. Things like this can change people’s lives.’ 

Claire Donovan, head of policy at campaigning charity End Furniture Poverty, said: ‘We know that over three quarters of a million social housing tenants are living without flooring, which has a detrimental impact on comfort, health and safety, energy efficiency and noise. We welcome all projects that will support landlords to provide their tenants with decent flooring.’ 

www.carpetright.co.uk 
IMAGE: Kevin Barret, ceo of Nestware Holdings