Govan Housing Group: Shifting the narrative from crisis to community champion
Shifting the narrative from crisis to community champion
The Challenge
In late 2025, Govan Housing Group was managing a complex operating environment, including regulatory engagement and forthcoming changes to its mid-market rent properties. With stakeholder confidence and key relationships at stake, the organisation sought expert communications support to provide clear messaging, steady engagement and a more proactive public narrative.
Our Approach
Perceptive quickly stabilised the initial turbulence before transitioning Govan Housing Group onto a proactive, retained communications programme. Acting as a seamless extension of the senior leadership team across Govan Housing Group, its mid-market rent subsidiary, Water Row and, most recently, its other subsidiary, Home Team, we designed a forward- looking strategy focused on profile-building, transparency and positive impact:
From challenge to stability: Deployed immediate communications counsel in late 2025 to manage engagement, establishing clear messaging frameworks that restored confidence among staff, tenants, politicians and partners.
Proactive reputation building: Launched a sustained programme in early 2026 to build media confidence, showcase “good news” stories and positive community impacts across local and national media, sector influencers and politicians.
Thought leadership & trade press visibility: Since March 2026, we have worked closely with executive leadership to develop high-level messaging and thought leadership themes, elevating the group's profile in national press and key sector trades.
Agile stakeholder & reputation management: While driving a positive media narrative, we maintained careful oversight of local sensitivities. When an important media piece touched on complex local issues, we provided proactive advice and supplementary messaging to ensure constructive dialogue and safeguard a key strategic relationship.
Celebrated community storytelling: Coordinated efficient, heart-warming coverage of a Govan tenant recognised in national volunteering awards, handling everything from email interviews to photography to champion local pride.
Results
Regulatory progress and confidence-building: Helped communicate the organisation’s improvement activity clearly and constructively, supporting stakeholder confidence and helping minimise reputational risk during a sensitive period.
Widespread positive media coverage: Secured extensive positive coverage across national, local, and trade press, including two major front-page features in the Glasgow Times.
Influential thought leadership: Positioned the CEO's industry insights prominently in The Scotsman and sector trade press, actively catching the attention and praise of key sector influencers, including the Director of External Affairs at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA).
Relationship protection: No adverse impact on critical local authority relationships following high-level media mediation and strategic diplomacy.
High tenant engagement: Maintained positive relationships with tenants and achieved exceptional digital reach and fantastic social media response surrounding the award-winning tenant volunteer feature.
Outcomes & Impact
A rebuilt reputation: Assisted in successfully shifted the public and sector narrative from regulatory intervention in late 2025 to organisational resilience, innovation and compliance by mid-2026.
Strengthened political alliances: Our careful handling of local press challenges ultimately opened new doors, paving the way for improved direct engagement and future dialogue between the CEO and key local politicians.
Boosted community pride: Placing a local tenant’s national success story on the front page humanised the housing association, directly fostering local trust and positioning Govan as a community-first organisation.
Embedded communication frameworks: Implemented simple, effective key messages across both Govan Housing Group and Home Team that have been fully embraced by staff, the leadership team and at Board level.
Client Feedback
“Perceptive Communicators bring a strong understanding of the housing sector and the unique sensitivities housing associations face. I’ve been really impressed with the Perceptive team; even in a relatively short space of time, they gave our senior leadership real reassurance. They are proactive and anticipate challenges before they surface and know exactly how to shape our messages so they land effectively with both local and social housing media.
“They have quickly become an extension of our team, building strong relationships at all levels across the organisation. Perceptive took the time to understand our business goals, helping us develop a clear, consistent, and compelling narrative for Govan Housing Group, with simple yet effective key messages that have been embraced across the business and at Board level. We’re delighted to be working with Perceptive and excited to continue embedding our proactive communications strategy together.”
Sean O’Connor, Interim Deputy Chief Executive, Govan Housing Group
