Discover Housing

Discover Housing aims to bring together 100 housing partners and 100 primary schools to help 10,000 children unlock their potential and discover the world of housing.

Children start early when it comes to building a picture for their future. We believe this picture should be filled with self-belief, aspiration and inspiration!

A shared vision for the future

Our vision at Positive Footprints is to shape brighter futures for children and young people.

A warm, safe home is the foundation of a healthy, happy life, which is why housing partners are perfectly placed to create opportunities where they’re needed most.

We need to act early to inspire the next generation – it’s about improving social mobility, helping children unlock their potential and highlighting housing as a career of choice.

Together, we can inspire a future generation of leaders and change-makers in our neighbourhoods and workplaces!

Why support Discover Housing?

Invest in your future workforce

Invest now to support children and young people to build strong foundations for the future. The next generation can only be what they can see, and the best time to empower future leaders and change-makers is now.

Lay the foundations for better outcomes

Housing associations lay the foundations for wellbeing – with better outcomes in health, learning and work. You have the power to act early to inspire the next generation to question their limits, discover strengths, and become curious about career ideas for the future.

Real, measurable impact

Working with Positive Footprints will deliver real impact for your communities – whether you call it ESG, social value, tenant satisfaction or community investment.

We capture social value for all our programmes so you can be certain you’ll have measurable outcomes to share in your annual reports.

In 2024–25, 11,526 children took part in our programmes in 275 schools, generating over £7 million in social value.

Sector-recognised programmes

Over fifteen housing organisations have already partnered with us to inspire children and young people in their communities. The campaign will build on this work and is backed by the Chartered Institute of Housing and the National Housing Federation.

“We know that aspirations for the future are shaped early, quickly become fixed, and can be influenced by circumstance. Children living in our communities are more likely to feel the impact of disadvantage, and the sector already invests significantly in employment and skills support for residents.

“Discover Housing builds on this commitment through early intervention – starting the journey sooner to support better outcomes in life, learning, and work.”

Lesley Burrows, Founder and Managing Director of Positive Footprints

How does it work?

It’s easy to get involved and it’s all facilitated by Positive Footprints. Housing partners choose the primary schools they want to support, and we make it happen.

We’ll work with the school for two years, embedding careers-led learning into the curriculum and connecting pupils with real stories, role models, and experiences, to broaden their horizons.