‘Make housing a passionate choice’, says Elly Hoult in presidential address

The president of the Chartered institute of Housing (CIH) has urged the sector to “make housing a deliberate, passionate choice” rather than a profession people inadvertently “fall into”.

Elly Hoult, in her presidential address in London last night, urged the sector to shout “from the rooftops” about the opportunities that a career in housing provides.

In a heartfelt and at times emotional speech, Hoult, who is also deputy chief executive and chief operating officer at housing association giant Peabody, also explained how social housing changed her family’s life, giving her a sense of purpose.

Hoult, speaking at the event at the Brewery in the City of London, said: “There’s a phrase we often hear in housing: “I fell into it.” I can see a few of you nodding.

“Many of us, me included, share this sentiment, but isn’t it time to rewrite that story?

“Isn’t it time we made housing a deliberate, passionate choice? Housing isn’t just a job; it’s a vocation, a calling. It’s a profession. A profession with social purpose at its core. If we want to attract the best talent and retain it, we need to shout this from the rooftops.”

Talking about her childhood, Hoult said that by today’s measures, she was a child in poverty, with a home that was “damp, cold, overcrowded and meant to be temporary” but had endured for decades.

She said: “My parents worked tirelessly—my mum juggled three cleaning jobs, my dad an ambulance driver—but they struggled to make ends meet.

“One memorable winter sticks with me—not just for the cold, but for the smell. When we couldn’t afford coal, we had to burn old shoes to keep warm”

She said one day, a housing association -which she has previously identified as Orbit, who she went on to work for - stepped in and gave her family a new home.

She said: “It was dry. It was safe, for the first time [there were] no damp walls, no icy draughts.

“As we stood in the empty living room, my mother sat on the floor, overwhelmed… She was crying because, for the first time, she could give her children a real home and a home she could be proud of.

“That moment didn’t just change my family’s life. Looking back, it gave me something else—a sense of purpose - a deep understanding that housing is so much more than bricks and mortar. It’s dignity. It’s safety. It’s a foundation for everything else.

She said that day “planted a seed” of a passion for housing that has driven her ever since.

Hoult spoke about her presidential campaign Choose Housing, which seeks to raise awareness of the career opportunities the housing sector provides.

She said “It’s down to all of us to encourage people to choose housing as a career.

>>See also: ‘Time to rewrite the story’ - Elly Hoult’s Chartered Institute of Housing presidential address in full

>>See also: ‘I never feel like I’ve done enough’… High-flying Elly Hoult talks about her career so far and her plans as CIH president

“I need you to take this back into your organisations and do something to help. Share the message. Inspire others. Spark conversations.”

Hoult said this is “one of the toughest times to work in housing”, pointing to disrepair, homelessness, overcrowding and the affordability crisis and skills shortages as hurdles facing the sector.

But she also said: “For the first time in what feels like a long time, we have a government that is making all the right noises and listening.”

She added “I believe we can rise to this moment; we have the power to do so and the choice to do that is in our control.”

The CIH Presidential Dinner and Appeal event also saw a speech by former medal-winning athelte Kriss Akabusi. It raised money for Hoult’s chosen charity Barnado’s. 

For more on the Choose Housing campaign, click here.