Managing Social Housing Providers: How do board directors manage the trade-offs and tensions between traditional social value and the contemporary need for self-sustaining profit?

A key challenge for the UK is the current housing crisis. Part of this challenge is the funding of Social Housing Providers (SHPs) and the tensions this causes within such organisations. This paper examines this situation through the perspective of board directors within these organisations. Increasingly, SHPs are now encouraged to operate entrepreneurially with less central government funding available. Within this context, the role of the board director has become increasingly challenging due to political, social, and financial pressures. The consequence is a new turbulence between tenant and society and the mediating role of the housing board. This paper analyses the funding and social tensions of SHPs using an innovative multi-layered research methodology including, a detailed documentary analysis of practices relating to decision making capabilities, and in-depth interviews with board directors as they seek to mediate the tension between state, market and civil society via SHP board decision making. The paper concludes that SHPs need to consider adapting their provision to meet the needs of the community (civil society). These findings shed new light on the working practices of the SHP under the context of austerity and new modes of housing governance.