Defining Who We Are and How We Work: Housing Justice’s New Values
September 3, 2025
Over the past several months, Housing Justice has been on a journey of reflection, discussion, and decision-making. Guided by external consultant Hannah Woods, we set out to develop a clearer, shared language to describe and guide our work.
This was no small task. Housing Justice works across a wide and varied landscape from homelessness and housing to immigration, faith, and housing development. Our projects range from supporting people with no recourse to public funds to enabling churches to explore the potential of their buildings for community housing. With such breadth, it can be challenging to capture who we are and what unites us in a single framework.
Hannah spent several months holding workshops and conversations with people from every corner of our organisation — trustees, senior management, and staff working on the ground. We talked about the work we do, the impact we see, and the challenges we face in defining our work.
Time and again, one theme stood out: community. Whether we are strengthening people’s community connections when they are facing homelessness, calling on local volunteers to support people, or helping churches understand the housing needs in their neighbourhoods, our work is always driven by community action and community-led responses.
Other strong threads emerged too: kindness and love, and partnership working.
As our thinking developed, we invited our London-based Lived Experience Group to join the conversation. Their insight and perspective were invaluable in shaping the values that now guide our work, especially because they have been supported by Housing Justice.
Conscious that we should honour our Christian roots, Chair of Trustees, Bishop Rob suggested to include a scripture reference to our values.
Together, we identified three core values:
COMPASSIONATE
Creating a culture of kindness, empathy, and respect in all our relationships.
“Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” — Colossians 3:12
COURAGEOUS
Rising to challenges, striving for justice, and consistently improving while pursuing the highest standards in all that we do.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” — Proverbs 31:8
COLLABORATIVE
Advocating together, building community, fostering trust, and communicating patiently.
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” — Psalm 133:1
These values don’t just describe what we do, they describe how we do it. They will help us be more decisive about the projects we take on, the partnerships we invest in, and the way we work day-to-day.
This process hasn’t just given us new words, it’s given us a clearer direction for Housing Justice. Whether we’re working from home, at a meeting, or on the street with someone experiencing homelessness, we know what we stand for.
