Alison Thain has just been awarded an OBE for her services to the social housing sector. The Chairman of the Tees Valley Housing Group talks to Women's Editor Christen Pears.

YOUR home affects your life in the most profound way. If you're living in a damp, crumbling hovel, chances are you'll be miserable, but move somewhere light and airy, where you're comfortable, and all sorts of possibilities open up. It's something Alison Thain realised early in her career. "Through housing, you can really change people's lives," she says.

Alison, who is chief executive of the Middlesbrough-based Tees Valley Housing Group, was recently awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Her experience and enthusiasm have made her one of the leading figures in the sector in the North-East, although she's quick to pay tribute to her team.

"I know it's a clich but I would never have got an OBE if it wasn't for the wonderful people I've worked with. I'm also very fortunate at Tees Valley to have such a supportive board. They're all volunteers and they do an amazing job," she says.

Born and brought up in the North-East, Alison left Jarrow Grammar School in 1972 and began her career as a trainee at Newcastle City Council. At the age of 18, she moved into the housing department and, in her words, was "totally hooked".

"What I loved about it was the combination of the technical aspects of the job to do with housing and architecture, together with the human side of it."

Since then, she's worked at Home Housing Association in South Tyneside and West Newcastle before moving to Nomad Housing Association as housing manager in 1981. In 1991, she began work in the Tees Valley as chief executive of Cleveland & Teesside Housing Society. Following a merger in 1997 with Phoenix Housing Association, she became chief executive of the Tees Valley Housing Group.

She's seen massive changes over the years and the sector is becoming more demanding and complex. A lot of housing stock has been neglected since the 1970s and is now in a state of serious disrepair. Houses are standing empty because they no longer meet people's aspirations and there simply isn't the money to demolish them and rebuild on the site.

Alison says: "One of the things we're dealing with in this area is market failure. It's a blight that undermines the regeneration of the region and front line staff are having to deal with anti-social behaviour and crime and some serious deprivation issues."

She sees working with other agencies in the sector as the key to success but is also heading a major campaign lobbying for Government funding, known as Tees Valley Living.

Newcastle and Gateshead were awarded Pathfinder status, which gave them access to funds to improve their housing stock. She would like to see Teesside to benefit in a similar way.

The social housing market is far more complex and varied than most people realise. Tees Valley Housing offers shared ownership, where tenants half own and half rent the property. It's particularly popular in the current housing market, where spiralling prices are keeping first-time buyers off the property ladder.

Alison says: "I think the market for good quality rented housing is always going to be there. Social housing isn't just for homeless people and poor people. We provide a range of housing, some of it very upmarket."

The sector is becoming more diverse and the Tees Valley Housing's remit now encompasses regeneration, employment and training initiatives, as well as schemes to support young mums. Its work is aimed at building a strong sense of community.

"It's great to see this happening. Social housing was neglected for quite a long time but people realise now it's crucial to regeneration. It's crucial to how people think about themselves and the area they live in.

"We want people to come to the Tees Valley and not just have good shopping and leisure experiences. We want them to see good quality buildings and houses - the kind of place they would like to live."