Sector collaboration is key to ‘get Britain working’

As a sector strongly motivated by a social purpose and with a direct, long-standing relationship with our residents, a high number of whom are disproportionately likely to be economically inactive, social housing providers are well placed to deliver employment services and support national and local government to deliver on their plans.

We offer great place-based, hyper-local support programmes in the heart of many of the hardest hit communities.

We understand the levels of support our residents and communities need, which often goes beyond simply providing skills training or access to opportunities and requires a range of tailored interventions to help them be ready for, and maintain, employment. 

In the North East, social housing providers have a great track record of delivering innovative employability support programmes and specialist provisions for those furthest from the employment market.

But a shared desire to work more collaboratively to develop a comprehensive, unrivalled, regional employment support offer led to the launch of the Housing Employment Network North East (HENNE), a formal partnership of 12 housing providers collectively with more than 190,000 homes across the North East.

Together we’ve built on our skillsets, past successes and local knowledge to develop a range of programmes which reach and successfully work with an array of individuals, households and communities, many of whom are often the hardest for mainstream services to engage with.

We’ve also forged a network of strong links with a host of small and large local businesses to ensure our programmes complement local employment need and provide beneficial support to both employers and jobseekers. 

In the past year, HENNE has secured over £4m in funding, with a significant proportion coming from the North East Combined Authority (NECA), the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) and several local authorities, all via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.  

The partnership is also one of 10 housing providers in England delivering the Department for Work and Pensions-funded JobsPlus pilot, designed to increase earnings and improve employment outcomes. 

From April to December 2024, this has helped support more than 8,000 individuals towards work and more than 2,300 into employment. What we now need to focus on is demonstrating what delivery models work best and which have delivered the most impact in what areas. 

“We offer great place-based, hyper-local support programmes in the heart of many of the hardest hit communities”

The Get Britain Working White Paper announced the NECA region as one of eight ‘economic inactivity trailblazers’, which will benefit from a share of £125m funding to trial new interventions and further increase engagement with local people who are outside the workforce. 

The paper also set out the TVCA region as one of eight ‘youth trailblazers’, enabling access to a share of £45m to identify those most at risk of falling out of education or employment and match them to opportunities for education, training or work. 

With this influx of funding heading to the region, paired with the success of employability programmes we’ve run in partnership with both combined and local authorities to date, the North East Housing Partnership, via HENNE, has positioned itself as a strong delivery partner for NECA and TVCA. 

As a collective, our achievements have certainly proven the power of collaboration. The commitment to creating sustainable employment pathways, supporting entire households and addressing multiple barriers remains a priority, lifting our poorest communities out of poverty through targeted support and job creation.