The publication of the Government's long-awaited Social Housing Green Paper may not be the watershed moment some housing leaders were hoping for – but it's a bigger step in the right direction than you might think.

For the best part of a decade, home ownership has been the focus of housing policy. The Green Paper revives the attention that social housing needs. Boosting the esteem and respect for this vital tenure will help to tackle the housing crisis – and it's a responsibility all of us share.