Shared ownership provider SO Resi has been praised at the 2023 First Time Buyer Readers’ Awards, which took place on the 1st September, having received the inaugural ‘Jonnie Irwin Legacy’ award for its pioneering SO Resi Education initiative.
The ‘Jonnie Irwin Legacy’ award is named after ‘A Place in the Sun’ legend Jonnie Irwin, and is designed to recognise an individual or initiative that has gone above and beyond the call of duty to make homeownership achievable for first time buyers. The award’s first recipient, SO Resi Education, led by Head of Marketing Esaiyas Mollallegn, was born after research by SO Resi revealed that two thirds of respondents knew absolutely nothing about the process of buying a home, and a fifth hadn’t even heard of affordable housing options such as shared ownership[1].
The initiative was launched at Fulham Boys School earlier this year and saw Esaiyas deliver immersive talks designed to provide pupils at the school with the knowledge and information needed to set them on the path to homeownership. The talks included a variety of topics such as the route to homeownership, the importance of owning a home, and affordable housing schemes such as shared ownership. The series is part of Esaiyas’ and SO Resi’s wider goal of ensuring the conversation about homeownership starts as early as possible, and that young people are equipped with the knowledge they need to enter the adult world.
Esaiyas comments: “It’s a privilege to be awarded the first ever Jonnie Irwin Legacy Award, which recognises the urgent need for young people to be educated on homeownership, particularly as the affordability landscape becomes increasingly difficult with the rising cost of living, student debt and high mortgage rates. We want to be able to give Generation Z the best start in life possible and make sure they have enough knowledge to make the right choices. With over 59% of young people thinking they will have to move away from where they live now to be able to afford a home[2], we hope shared ownership will give young people the autonomy of living where they want to – not just where they can afford.”
More recently, Esaiyas has continued the education scheme by visiting Nottingham Academy, to keep the conversation going for young people trying to navigate the current housing market, and Esaiyas will continue to deliver important educational talks in schools nationwide.
Esaiyas continues: “In schools, we spend a lot of time learning about algebra, poetry, and the periodic table, but in real life, the biggest purchase most people will make is a home. One fifth of people not having heard of shared ownership is staggering and as the most trusted shared ownership provider in the country, we feel it is our duty to educate the next generation on all housing options, including shared ownership, so they have all the information possible when it’s the right time. Delivering affordable homes through shared ownership is the key to creating a window of opportunity for young people and at SO Resi, we are working hard to make this possible – making people’s dreams of home ownership a reality.”