The S FACTOR in real estate. 7 facts. 14 people.

Last week I had a unique opportunity to bring around the table, in Amsterdam, 14 of the leading European, UK and US #social and #affordable housing fund managers and developers for a discussion about the Social Factor (S FACTOR) in #realestate investments.

What’s the S FACTOR in real estate … you ask?

The S FACTOR is the idea of better understanding the people for whom we build new homes and preserve existing affordable homes. What are their needs? What services already exist for them in the communities in which they live? What else can be brought in or intentionally designed such that these communities flourish?

At Van Leer, our mission is to contribute to inclusive societies where all children and communities can flourish. We particularly come at this from the perspective of families with young kids. Though they are? just one of many groups that benefit from more social & affordable homes, we believe that “if we can change the beginning of a story, we can change the whole story”.

7 facts from our roundtable

1. In most European, US and UK cities, families with young children represent between 15%-35% of the population. This is a considerable proportion and therefore we need to pay attention to their needs.
2. We know that where children grow up shapes their prospects as adults. There are a few key mechanisms, proven in the academic literature, on what impacts their health and wellbeing: #housing quality, #affordability (stability), and #location (neighbourhood). ?
3. The bonds babies and toddlers form with parents and caregivers are their first experiences of human connection. These relationships lay the neurobiological foundations of trust, resilience and compassion. The way that we build homes (and the surrounding spaces) can help strengthen these #connections at every level.
4. Housing that is good for young children is (typically) good for all residents. We’re talking about spaces that are #affordable and #stable, #playful, #green and #social, #safe and secure, #connected to services and opportunities and which are #responsive, #inclusive and #empowering.
5. Young children and their caregivers are often overlooked in the design and planning of housing. Authentically including their voices in community engagement processes can lead to significant economic and social returns #ROI
6. All actors in the ecosystem have an important role to play: long term asset holders (pension funds, endowments, impact investors), real estate fund managers, real estate developers, designers and architects, operators and policymakers of course.
7. One important place to start is to move beyond box-ticking community consultation processes and to authentically listen to and get to know this group (as well as other groups!). In doing so, we’ll be able to, in the words of one architect, “move away from making assumptions in our head” and get closer to what is truly impactful. ??

At Van Leer, we think these facts are often overlooked and typically considered in isolation. But when we look at them together, we begin to understand how important it is to also intentionally consider the S FACTOR in real estate. As a starting point, over the last 12 months, we’ve supported the development and piloting process of a community engagement toolkit. Watch this space and/or give me or Dinah Bornat a shout if you’d like to join in for our launch moment being planned for later this year!

#socialimpact, #impactinvesting, #earlychildhood development, #communityconsultations #realestate,#affordablehousing, #cities

Dinah Bornat Ofri Earon Ivan Rodriguez Maggie Loo Celia Harrison Olivia Prentice Isabel Hayes (nee Scruby) Damien Sharkey Dawn Mottram Jonathan F.P. Rose Kristin Sikorski Koch Lori Stanlick Marleen Bekkers Arushi Khandelwal Clive Nichol Debbie Whitfield Eloy Lindeijer Neil van der Meer Michael Feigelson Sam Sternin Andrea Torres Sansotta Rushda Majeed Victoria Chavez Annemarie Poorterman Ana María Rey Martinez Rebekah Paczek Savvas Verdis Aaron Seybert Anna Shiel Nick Flores Mark Berryman Hannah Rothschild Alexis Camejo Charlotte Davidi