BLOG: The House That Made Me - By Rachel Jones

My first home was a two-bedroom council flat in Bermondsey, South London with my mum, dad, two sisters and brother. When I was three our home was due to be demolished as part of a regeneration scheme, so we moved to a four-bedroom house in Elephant and Castle (pictured below).

Rachel Jones, Customer Service Centre Trainer

When I had my son, I moved in to a two-bedroom flat which was also in the Elephant and Castle/Walworth area and we spent 15 very happy years in this home. In fact, my favourite memory was the day I brought my son back from hospital when he was a newborn. I wasn’t a fan of hospitals and going home with my baby boy just felt like heaven. The only downside was this flat was very old and we had major problems with damp. But on the good side there was a strong sense of community and everybody knew and looked out for each other.

We then moved out of inner London in 2010 and I now live in Hertfordshire with my husband. I love how quiet the area is compared to London. But I do miss the ease of jumping on the tube to get anywhere in the city.

When I get home each evening, I tend to water our flowers in the garden while my husband cooks the dinner (how lucky am I!). If I could live in my dream home, it wouldn’t really matter where it was (so long as it wasn’t too cold). But I would love to live close to all of my family. Not in the same house but within walking distance would be perfect.

When I joined Network Homes, I’d been working in the private sector for two years. I had previously worked in the housing sector for eight years before that and on my first day I felt relieved to be back in an environment where I could really make a difference to people’s lives. I grew up in social housing, as did my son and I know how important it is that we support our residents and always provide homes that people feel proud of and enjoy going home to.

The house that made me is a new series of blogs by people at Network Homes, recalling what impact their housing experience has had on them.