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Resident support schemes worth £23m in social value at risk in London, major landlords warn
Schemes providing “vital” support to residents and plugging gaps in state services are at risk without urgent government action, the G15 group of London landlords has warned.
The group said that housing associations’ voluntary support services, worth £23m in social value last year, are under increasing pressure as budgets come under strain.
The London-based landlords provide several support services to residents, including financial advice services, food security initiatives, homelessness prevention, employment training, and help with cost of living pressures.
The G15 said its members have provided 67 money guidance projects and 75 food security initiatives, which collectively supported 32,000 people.
Employment and skills programmes run by members have helped more than 60,000 residents into work and training since 2017.
The group has produced a report, Room to grow: supporting London’s communities, on the value of and threat to those services.
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It said: “We are uniquely placed and motivated to do this. Unlike many other public sector or non-profit actors, we have a pre-existing relationship with over 800,000 residents and so intervene through a position of familiarity, knowledge and trust.
“This means we can help residents overcome any issues they may face well before they reach crisis point, reducing pressure on stretched public services.
“In many communities our density of homes enables us to act as ‘anchor institutions’, co-ordinating local partners and activities to bridge gaps in service provision that have emerged following austerity and local authority cutbacks.”
The group said that landlords’ voluntary activities “contribute to key cross-party objectives including improving growth, reducing economic inactivity and eliminating poverty”.
However, it said the services are “under real threat” in the current uncertain economic climate “as housing associations juggle various demands on their income”.
“Several G15 members have taken difficult decisions to cut back on their social impact work so that they can prioritise the essential core work of repairs and upgrades.
“Further cutbacks are inevitable without a boost to housing associations’ finances,” the group warned.
To address the pressures, it called on the government to introduce a 10-year rent settlement with guarantee that the terms of it cannot be changed partway through.
Fiona Fletcher-Smith, chair of the G15, said: “Not-for-profit housing associations are proud to play an essential role in the lives and communities of our residents, creating room to grow, whether helping with skills and employment opportunities [or] financial education, healthcare support and so on.”
Some of the schemes highlighted by the G15 included Peabody’s hospital discharge service at Lowri House in Hackney, which alleviates pressure on the NHS by freeing up hospital beds, with an average saving of £600 per night per bed.
Clarion Futures runs one of the biggest jobs and training programmes in the country, helping thousands of people into work each year through its connections with more than 200 employers, and is open to all the landlord’s residents.
In south London, The Guinness Partnership works with young people through its collaboration with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation. The initiative engaged young people aged under 25 in weekly activities that build employability and life skills.
Ms Fletcher-Smith added: “Without targeted government support, we face an impossible dilemma: we cannot continue to provide the critical services our residents rely on while delivering the affordable and social homes that are key to solving London and the UK’s housing crisis.”
She said the government “must acknowledge the vital role we play” and provide the necessary support “to ensure we can continue to serve our residents while delivering the homes London desperately needs”.
The government has been contacted for a response.
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