Building communities that work: The role of housing associations in supporting employment
Article
Today, 10 years on from the Hill Review, there remains a strong link between housing tenure and employment status. Housing association tenants are twice as likely to be unemployed as the average, they are three times as likely to be inactive, and those who are in work earn less. As a result, housing association tenants are more likely to be in poverty and most rely on housing benefit.
Many housing associations provide employment-related support to tenants. We estimate the sector delivers support worth over £70 million a year, with over £60 million coming from housing associations themselves. However, national employment and skills policies have failed to engage effectively with housing associations. Recent developments – including the devolution of the Work and Health Programme and the adult education budget (AEB) – offer the opportunity to build more effective place-based employment and skills services. Housing associations should be seen as key partners in supporting this agenda.
Related items
A people-focussed future for transport in England
Our findings from three roundtables on the impact of transport in people’s lives and the priorities for change.Progressive renewal: The Global Progress Action Summit
A quarter of the way through this century, change is in the air. Everyone, everywhere, seemingly all at once, wants out of the status quo.Insurgent government: How mainstream parties can fight off populism and rebuild trust in politics
Across the western world it feels like a sea change is occurring in our politics. At the heart of this is a simple fact: large numbers of people increasingly feel that mainstream politics is failing to deliver for them.