Social housing is accommodation which people on low incomes can afford to live in. It is different to privately rented housing.
There are rules about who is able to apply for social housing, and accommodation is usually allocated to households based on their level of need. This doesn't happen with privately rented accommodation.
Social housing is sometimes also known as 'council housing'. However, in Middlesbrough, the council doesn't provide any social housing; it is all owned and managed by registered providers (often called housing associations).
Housing associations are independent, not-for-profit organisations, which means that any surplus money they make must be invested back into maintaining existing homes and helping to pay for new ones. Housing associations are regulated and funded by the Homes and Communities Agency, which is responsible for the construction of new social housing.