“The role of Housing Associations in supporting their residents to find employment and training”
Helen Cope and Andrew Preskey, 2010
The two workshops supported one of the key findings of the Bill Sargent Trust research: “That social housing residents valued the way they were treated was as important as the help they received.”
Summary:
The research project was initiated in response to the debate following the findings of the Hills Report which highlighted the concentration of “workless” households in social housing estates. Portsmouth HA (whose residents participated in the research) has a level of “worklessness” equivalent to or slightly greater than the national average for social housing (40%). The national picture is one of an increasing concentration of workless households in social housing as a result of the sale of social housing and (until recently) increased access to owner occupation for lower income families; a benefits system that impacts on unemployment and a variety of identified barriers to work, including lack of qualifications, disability, caring responsibilities and addictive behaviours. The aim of this BST research project was to test the experiences of local residents and to investigate the barriers they faced, what services they felt worked for them and the benefit of first step IAG provided through the social housing landlord.
During the lifetime of the research project the UK economic outlook changed from the highest ever levels of economic activity into deep recession and increased unemployment. While this does not change the underlying key messages it makes it even more difficult for many social housing residents to gain employment in a more competitive labour market.
Click this link for a copy of the workshop notes
Click this link for Helen Cope’s presentation (choose “open file” when prompted)
This research was also conducted a year prior by Andrew Preskey.
Andrew Preskey, September 2009
Click this link for a copy of the Residents Employment Summary report (colour, 4 sides)
Click this link for a copy of the full Residents Employment report (some colour graphs, 60 sides)
