tenants

Welfare reform: the impact on homelessness and tenancy sustainment for Scottish Housing Associations

Towards the end of 2013 evidence emerged in England and Wales that the recent cuts to Housing Benefit, coupled with the increase in Jobseekers Allowance sanctions, are putting some families at risk of losing their homes, in addition to impacting upon social landlords' ability to prevent and alleviate homelessness.

Impact of welfare reform on housing associations: 2012 baseline report

Report that focuses on the initial perceptions of the impacts on landlords prior to the introduction of welfare reform changes. It includes a profile of the housing association sector in England, covering information which will help to clarify which associations might be disproportionately affected by changes, and a summary of the potential impacts on housing association landlords from the available literature.

The Scottish social housing charter

Charter that set the standards and outcomes that all social landlords should aim to achieve when performing their housing activities.

The Charter has seven sections covering: equalities; the customer/landlord relationship; housing quality and maintenance; neighbourhood and community; access to housing and support; getting good value from rents and service charges; and other customers.

Challenge question: how can we help tackle child poverty – our main business is housing and tenancy issues?

Child Poverty challenge question postcards on housing published by Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services (C4EO). This downloadable postcard present challenge questions from C4EO’s research. The questions act as checklists to stimulate multi-agency thinking and help you develop your Child Poverty strategy and practice. There are questions for strategic leaders in children’s services, housing professionals, health professionals and frontline practitioners.

Enriching opportunities: unlocking potential: searching for the keys

The Enriched Opportunities Programme is an intervention developed by the ExtraCare Charitable Trust and Bradford Dementia group that aimed to improve the well-being and activity of people with dementia living in long-term care. The programme included five key elements: specialist expertise; individualised assessment and case work; activity and occupation; staff training; management and leadership. This research evaluates the impact of the intervention on residents and tenants and on the staff caring for them.

How can we make the housing market more stable for vulnerable households?

In July 2009, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation established a taskforce to address the root causes of instability in the UK housing market. Whether in a boom or a downturn, the shortage of affordable housing hits the most vulnerable households first and worst. These Viewpoints – commissioned as part of the programme and aimed at stimulating debate – provide two different perspectives on the kinds of reforms needed to provide long-term, secure housing for those least able to afford it.

Empowerment, racist incidents and casework practice

Casework practice is the process whereby, for example, housing officers, anti-social behaviour officers and neighbourhood wardens work with a tenant who has reported a racist incident to help resolve a complaint. This article focuses on the need for racist/hate incident case workers to be aware of the value of empowerment, and to be able to offer an empowering service when working directly with clients.