Building Opportunities Employability Pilots
Background
In 2007, Steve Trusler, Strategy Director Wates Living Space chaired a research project to explore how housing associations and private businesses can work together to target communities in greatest need.
The findings of this research found some great examples of one to one relationships between Housing Associations and Businesses but nothing on any scale or outside of contracting relationships
The Projects
In response to these findings, the team secured grant funding from the TSA to run two employability projects with additional support from Wates Living Space.
In all, 19 businesses provided support to 111 residents between September 2008 to March 2010. The pilots found that working with Housing Associations gives businesses the most direct route in to some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK, and resulted in recommendations including:
- Housing Associations committing resource to employability as a corporate priority, to explore how working with businesses can complement existing activities
- Building social landlords’ understanding of opportunities to engage with businesses, and their confidence that the private sector will be receptive to approaches
- Making the most effective investments by creating activities that best reflect the local economy
- Partnering smaller Housing Associations, where resources are an issue, with other local Housing Associations
- Tackling financial barriers that currently discourage residents from returning to work and losing the stable income that housing benefit provides
- Encouraging funding bodies to recognise the growing expectations for Housing Associations to provide greater support for their residents’ employability.
Both pilots developed strong and sustainable relationships between Housing Associations and businesses and succeeded in increasing residents’ employability, and we are delighted that the partners involved are continuing to support the work, creating opportunity for more residents into the future.
A report highlighting the key findings for the pilot projects and a toolkit for Housing Associations have been produced following the pilots which are available to download below:
Click here to download the Building Opportunities report
Categories: influencing, affordable housing, CR, people, national
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