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HACT: Housing, worklessness and welfare reform
John Coburn
Network Coordinator
LVSC event – Wednesday 12 December 2012
www.hact.org.uk
What is HACT?
• Founded 1960
• HA owned and led
• Big Society “early adopters”
• Pilot project, thematic networks
• Renewed mission and focus
www.hact.org.uk
Huge Challenges
• Changes in government subsidy
• Sweeping away of top down targets, inspection and regulation
• Radical welfare reforms
• The emergence of localism
www.hact.org.uk
Focusing on the local
www.hact.org.uk
Government cut-backs: Just beginning
www.hact.org.uk
Tacking worklessness is all about derisking your business…• £40bn historic grant – tempting to
a cash strapped public sector
• Focus on short term v long term sustainability
• Continued reductions and uncertainty on welfare benefits
• Outsourcing the risks and costs of social and economic decline
www.hact.org.uk
HACT/Inclusion worklessness report
HACT commissioned Inclusion report Housing providers’ approaches to tackling worklessness with a focus on:
• improve the targeting of employability initiatives
•a greater focus on impact measurement
•build stronger links between housing provider-led initiatives and wider Government funded activity
www.hact.org.uk
Social housing residents highly disadvantaged in the labour market
• 3.5 million social-housing residents are workless = 56% of working age (other tenures = 25%)
• Nearly half workless for 12 months+• 35% claiming out of work benefits (other tenures = 8%)• Workless social-housing residents 4 times more likely to have long-
term health conditions or disabilities and 6 times more likely to be lone parents than other workless
• 1.6 million social-housing residents predicted to be on the Work Programme (27% of w/age social-housing residents)
www.hact.org.uk
Lots being done by housing providers
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Childcare provision/support
Jobs targeted specifically at workless people
Enterprise support
Projects providing support to find employment
Apprenticeships
Other information, advice and guidance services
Work experience placements
Money advice
Referrals to other organisations
Training and skills development
Dedicated projects, programmes and interventions Work opportunities
Universal services
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Childcare provision/support
Jobs targeted specifically at workless people
Enterprise support
Projects providing support to find employment
Apprenticeships
Other information, advice and guidance services
Work experience placements
Money advice
Referrals to other organisations
Training and skills development
Dedicated projects, programmes and interventions Work opportunities
Universal services
www.hact.org.uk
What we found out
• 88% doing things to help residents into work, most doing lots
• most providers do not limit employment and skills activities to their own residents...
• Many will need to improve their knowledge to do this: only 42% know the level of worklessness among tenants or residents
• Very few housing providers approach worklessness in isolation – they build particularly effective partnerships with other housing providers and with contractors in their supply chains and with voluntary community organisations
www.hact.org.uk
What we found out
• Little engagement with mainstream welfare to work provision:
– Only 28% are engaging with/linking up to Work Programme
– 35 housing orgs in WP supply chains = 2% of housing sector
www.hact.org.uk
Something has to change
• Only 5% of the long term unemployed got jobs for longer than six months
• The government has spent some £435 million on the scheme so far
www.hact.org.uk
So for housing providers...
1. Target services and opportunities more effectively
2. Common approaches to assessing impact and effectiveness
3. Engaging with mainstream provision
4. Meet the challenges of welfare reform and universal credit
www.hact.org.uk
Community Insight
www.hact.org.uk
Sharing, learning, maximising impact
