A new social blueprint for housing
Clarion Housing Group's landmark 125th-anniversary report sets out a long-term vision for the future of social housing at a time of rapid economic, social and technological change.
Published to mark 125 years since the founding of our oldest predecessor, 5 New Giants of Opportunity brings together nine essays from leading thinkers across housing, health, technology, economics and design, each offering bold, hopeful ideas for what tomorrow's communities could look like.
A modern Beveridge moment
The report takes its inspiration from the radical ambition of the 1942 Beveridge Report, which laid the foundations of Britain's modern welfare state and named the 5 'giants' the country had to defeat: Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness.
More than 80 years on, the world has changed and so have its challenges. Climate breakdown, technological disruption, shifting demographics and deepening inequality are now among the most powerful forces shaping people's daily lives, and the institutions designed to support them must change in response.
The 5 New Giants of Opportunity report is our attempt to name that change. It identifies four interlinked pressures, the planetary emergency, technological disruption, changing demographics, and economic and social instability, as the defining context for the years ahead, and sets out a positive framework for how the housing sector and its partners can respond.
An introduction to the report
Watch this short film that brings the report's themes to life, from the pressures shaping social housing today to the opportunities a new generation of homes and communities could unlock.
A useful starting point before exploring The 5 new giants of opportunity report in detail.
The 5 new giants
At the heart of the report are 5 modern 'giants of opportunity': connection, resilience, trust, health and sufficiency.
Together they form a blueprint for a fairer, healthier and more sustainable future, and a way of organising long-term thinking across the sector. They are an invitation to look beyond bricks and mortar, towards homes that build belonging, neighbourhoods that withstand shocks, organisations that earn confidence, environments that support wellbeing, and a model of provision that meets people's needs without exceeding the planet's.
The challenges we face
Many of the pressures the report addresses are already shaping the lives of the people we serve. Findings from Clarion's 2025 Index of resident experience show that nearly half of residents say financial strain is harming their mental health. A third of working-age residents are economically inactive, often as a result of illness or disability. And 15% report feeling lonely most or all of the time, nearly double the national average.
These are not abstract trends. They describe the texture of everyday life in homes across the country, and they make clear why a new conversation about social housing is so urgently needed.
"If we want a better society, we need to know what it looks like. Optimism comes from having a vision of the future, and a plan for how to get there. Leadership means showing the way forward by doing things that work, identifying, testing and implementing new approaches to tackling the problems we face. Clarion does not have all the answers, but we pledge to do everything we can to disrupt declining quality-of-life trends. By combining experimentation on the ground, co-creation with communities, and advocacy for systemic change, we aim to be part of a sector-wide movement toward a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable housing future, and I welcome anyone who wants to collaborate with us in our journey towards that goal."
A landmark launch at the Royal Institution
The report's findings were presented at a launch event at the Royal Institution in central London, where social historian and broadcaster David Olusoga delivered a keynote lecture reflecting on his own experience of growing up in social housing and the case for a more positive housing vision.
The evening brought together members of our Foresight Group, partners, colleagues and board members, and featured contributions from Clarion Chief Executive Clare Miller, David Orr and Niomi Gibson, a Clarion resident and member of the Clarion Futures Board, who spoke about her experience and her role in shaping the report.
"Social housing is a lifeline for so many, but for decades our system has failed to adapt and families up and down the country have been blighted by the same issues that I experienced through my own childhood. Systemic change does not happen overnight, but this report sets out a positive vision for a sector that desperately needs it. Social housing could be so much more, and I commend Clarion for having the courage to lead and begin this new conversation."
Nine essays, one shared vision
- The planetary emergency demands brave leadership and a willingness to change
- From optimism to possibilism: connecting for a regenerative future
- Is data empowerment the way to protect our residents?
- The future of value: economics in a three-degree world
- Is one home enough?
- What can a home unlock?
- Connection, empowerment and residents
- Which comes first, health or home?
- Housing for health: a new approach
A call to collaborate
Clarion does not have all the answers. What we do have is a determination to disrupt declining quality-of-life trends through experimentation, co-creation with our communities and advocacy for systemic change.
The 5 New Giants of Opportunity report is the start of a conversation, not the end of one, and we are calling on government, partners and the wider housing sector to work with us in turning the opportunities it identifies into reality.
