Strengthening representation through the 20% movement

Greater Manchester Housing Providers have launched an ambitious sector wide commitment to widen representation by increasing the number of colleagues with lived experience of social housing. Through the 20% Movement, GMHP members have pledged that by 2034, 20% of their workforce will be made up of people from social rented households.

This pledge reflects a shared belief that bringing more lived experience into the sector will strengthen services, deepen insight and help organisations stay connected to the communities they serve.

The initiative was developed collectively by the chief executives of all 26 GMHP organisations. Inspired in part by Roman Krznaric’s book The Good Ancestor, which calls for long term thinking and decisions that benefit future generations, the leaders agreed that increasing socio economic diversity within their workforces is essential for building a fairer, more representative housing sector.

Current estimates suggest that most landlords who measure socio economic background report that only 7–8% of their workforce live in social housing, highlighting the scale of the challenge. The pledge therefore marks a deliberate shift away from historic assumptions about employing tenants – assumptions that previously framed such recruitment as risky or inappropriate.

The Movement also aligns with the recommendations of the Better Social Housing Review, which encourages housing providers to attract candidates from within their communities to strengthen trust, improve representation and deliver more responsive services.

The 20% Movement represents a significant step toward reshaping the sector’s approach to talent, inclusion and community connection. By intentionally broadening the socio economic diversity of their workforces, GMHP members are working to ensure that colleagues, customers and communities are more closely aligned – and that lived experience becomes a valued source of insight and leadership across the region.