Jill Murray is four months into her term as president of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). Here, she tells Housing View about how the CIH supported her rise through the ranks, why housing is the fourth emergency service, and how we can all be EPIC
by Ben Wakeling
Jill Murray doesn’t have a sense of humour; at least, that’s what her husband suggested. And so, during March, she will be performing a stand-up comedy routine for seven minutes in a live comedy club.
It may seem like a strong reaction to a throwaway comment that some would just brush off, or perhaps let stew in simmering resentment; but Jill has never been one to shy away from a challenge, and so enrolled on a course called Confidence Through Comedy.
“I’m trying my hardest to find jokes that fit with the housing sector,” she laughs, “but I’m quite a literal person, so I can’t tell a joke!”
She gives it a go, though, trying out a couple of puns she has prepared for an upcoming public speaking engagement. (“Housing jokes will be right up their street,” she adds, before cringing, hiding her face behind her hands.)
Getting the chance to improve people’s lives and work so closely with communities is wonderful
But Jill is used to being a stranger to the comfort zone. Her life has been full of challenges – she was tragically orphaned at 13 years old, and ended up avoiding going into local authority care by moving in with her 21 year-old sister – but where many would have crumbled, she remained resolute, knowing that the safe home which her young sister offered her gave her a platform from which to rebuild her life.
“I worked Saturdays in a hairdressers to pay for my clothes, but I didn’t want to work full-time at 16, I wanted to stay on in sixth form and go to university with the rest of my friends, but I couldn’t afford to do that,” she explains. “But that didn’t stop me. From that adversity was a determination that I could succeed; I had a life, I had a home, and I would be a good professional as I got older.”
Jill has taken her life experiences and weaved them into a simple mantra: to be ‘EPIC’ in all things. It’s this philosophy that is the cornerstone of her CIH presidential campaign; an acronym setting out how anyone in the sector, with some hard work and determination, can be Educated, Professional, In control, and benefit from the resources offered by the CIH.
“The acronym is new but I’ve not pulled this philosophy out of thin air,” Jill adds. “This is actually what I believe, and it’s what I’ve always believed since I started in housing.” She references a Guardian article from 2006, in which she describes working in the housing industry as “one of the most interesting jobs you can do”.
Four months into her tenure and Jill is busy travelling across the UK, speaking at many events and functions. There is huge interest in her ‘Be EPIC’ movement, which is no surprise; it is an attitude which is intensely personal to anyone who wants to take the first step on a journey of self-improvement. Jill describes it as a ‘pole star’: something which anyone who works in the sector can always focus on, even when buffeted by the challenges and strains that a job in the industry often brings.
“Being ‘EPIC’ means that your job becomes easier, and your results become better for those that we serve; so why wouldn’t everybody want to be ‘EPIC’, whether you want to progress up the career ladder or whether you just want to be the in whatever you do?”
Those who work in housing are fortunate; the sector provides every opportunity for someone to pursue being ‘EPIC’, regardless of what level they may be or how much experience they have. Jill knows this from personal experience: she rose from a general office clerk in the local council housing department – “that kid doing the filing and making the tea” – to serving as CEO of Byker Community Trust in Newcastle and achieving a life-long ambition in becoming CIH president.
Jill believes that no matter who you are, or where you come from, home is the place where everything begins; and, if you work hard, you can achieve anything you want.
The fourth emergency service
Housing is in Jill’s blood. She describes the social housing sector as being the fourth emergency service; a gradual retraction of community services since the 1980s, caused by years of austerity cuts, has left some of the most vulnerable people stranded and in dire need of help.
“Local authorities have just not got the money to provide the community support mechanisms that were always there, and are not any more. And so, unintentionally, the housing sector has stepped into many of those responsibilities.
“When I first started in housing we did repairs and collected rents; now we provide 24/7 helplines, food, money and benefit advice, emergency funds, training, digital inclusion, apprenticeships and employment support, to name just some of the additional services housing associations provide.
“We are providing people with the essentials that they need in life to survive. These are often people in crisis, and it’s become a main focus now. The trauma that poverty brings: mental health problems, drug and alcohol abuse…that’s why we are the fourth emergency service.”
All the more reason to be ‘EPIC’, Jill adds. Embracing this mindset not only improves you, but it helps those around you, too. If you endeavour to learn, to be professional through continuous development, to take personal responsibility for your own path, then you will succeed.
And then there’s the ‘C’ in epic: the Chartered Institute of Housing. Jill describes it as a ‘touchstone’ through her professional career and credits the housing body for supporting her as she pursued her career goals.
As president, Jill now has the platform to encourage others to embrace an ‘EPIC’ attitude in an industry which is rarely promoted as a career choice, but is one of the most rewarding professions there is. Her advice for anyone looking to enter the industry is to do some research and ask questions; there is something for everyone.
“The work we do every day is fantastic,” Jill enthuses. “Getting the chance to improve people’s lives and work so closely with communities is wonderful.”
You also meet people who inspire you, who buy into the attitude of epic-ness, she says. I’m sure you’ve inspired many people yourself along the way, I suggest.
“Hopefully,” Jill responds. Just maybe not when it comes to cracking jokes.
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