Student perspectives on social housing and purpose
In our latest Purpose Lab session students were introduced to the social housing sector by Karbon Homes. The conversation centred on how organisations balance commercial decisions with social purpose, students understanding about social housing and what they look for in recruitment, management support and wellbeing.
A consistent theme was how quickly perceptions can shift once students understand the breadth of the sector. Many arrived with a narrow view of social housing as simply providing homes. Through discussion, students began to see it as a multi-disciplinary ecosystem that combines housing delivery with regulation, customer service, community investment and place-based partnership work.
Housing was framed as a foundation for wider outcomes, including stability, dignity, health, employability and financial resilience. That broader definition helped students connect the sector to lived impact rather than abstract policy.
Purpose and values alignment emerged as a key driver of attraction, but students were clear that it only feels credible when it shows up in decision-making and day-to-day behaviours. They responded to the idea that social housing roles can offer meaning through tangible outcomes for individuals and communities, and that this sense of contribution can help sustain motivation in challenging work. Students also highlighted the importance of fairness and ethics, including how organisations treat customers, how they balance competing priorities, and whether they invest in long-term community outcomes rather than short-term optics.
The session also widened understanding of career pathways. Students learnt that housing associations need both frontline roles and specialist functions across finance, technology, data, communications, asset management, development and surveying. They were interested in how professional skills translate into social outcomes, particularly where business, digital and technical capabilities directly affect service quality, compliance and the ability to deliver new homes.
Recruitment credibility was another strong focus. Students want clear, proportionate processes with transparent expectations, timely communication and constructive feedback. Overly complex entry-level hiring, long delays, vague role design and poor updates were cited as trust-breakers that signal internal disorganisation or a lack of respect. Students also linked recruitment experience to broader organisational culture - the way an employer communicates during hiring is seen as a preview of how it will treat staff day-to-day.
Finally, wellbeing and support were discussed as practical realities rather than benefits language. Students defined a good employer as one that manages workload sensibly, equips line managers to support people, and creates psychologically safe ways to raise concerns. Flexibility, development and progression mattered alongside pay, but students repeatedly positioned wellbeing as something you feel through culture, management and expectations, not a policy statement.
Overall, the session reinforced that social housing can be a compelling early-career destination when students can see the real-world impact, understand the diversity of roles, and trust that the employer’s values are reflected in how it recruits, supports and develops people.
