Leadership in Action: Challenging Misinformation and Standing Up for Our Communities

Chief Executive of Arawak Housing, Ulfat Hussain, along with Anna Bishop, CEO of South Liverpool Homes and Kate Thompson, Ocean Media who Chaired the session, took part in Housing 2026 in Manchester to speak about, what he believes is one of the most pressing issues facing our sector: the rise of misinformation about immigration and housing and the urgent role of leadership in fighting back.

Here is what he had to say.

Lies travels faster than the truth

The summer 2024 riots did not come from nowhere. They were fuelled by lies and false claims, spread at speed across social media, that asylum seekers and minority ethnic families were jumping the queue for social housing. None of it is true. Asylum seekers cannot access mainstream social housing while their claim is processed. Allocation is based on need, assessed consistently, overseen by regulation. But facts alone are not enough when the algorithm is doing something else entirely. It is landing on our people This is not abstract. Housing colleagues across the country are experiencing racist abuse during home visits, hostility linked to allocation decisions, and minority ethnic tenants feeling less safe in their own homes. These were the findings of the Inside Housing’s recent survey on misinformation and the impact it is having on our BME colleagues and communities.

These are our colleagues. Our tenants. Our communities.

This is a leadership issue

Ulfat was clear: anti-racist leadership is not political. It is professional. It is what you do when a colleague is abused, when a false claim circulates online, when a public figure repeats a lie about social housing allocations. As a community-rooted housing association with deep roots in Greater Manchester's minority ethnic communities, this sits at the heart of who we are and what we stand for.

What leadership looks like in practice

Ulfat set out calls to action for housing leaders:

• Challenge misinformation — be the trusted, factual voice before someone else fills the vacuum

• Protect your staff and tenants — enforce zero tolerance, make it safe to speak up and be the ally that people affected by this are longing for.

• Invest in community cohesion — sustained, people-centred work that builds genuine trust

• Lead with your values in the room — not just on your website

Greater Manchester is showing the way

Ulfat also highlighted the work of the Greater Manchester Housing Partnership — who have embarked on collective commitment to countering misinformation, building anti-racist leadership, and investing in community cohesion that goes beyond leaflets.

Arawak Housing are proud to be part of it.

"If misinformation divides communities — leadership can and must unite them."

That was Ulfat's closing line in Manchester.