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The Scottish social housing sector must do more for young people
As Scotland celebrates #ScottishHousingDay, Lorraine McLaren outlines ways Wheatley Group has helped give young people more opportunities
The Scottish Government has declared 2018 as the Year of Young People.
It has celebrated the talents and achievements of our young people, and given them a platform to get their voices heard on the issues that affect them.
But I know today’s youth also face huge barriers to getting on in life.
Work is hard to find, zero-hours and short-term contracts are on the rise. People aged between 16 and 24 are twice as likely to be out of work than any other age group.
Research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies last week showed that those in their 30s were hardest hit by the 2008 financial crash.
“We need to address the drivers of poverty, deprivation and homelessness that continue to hold our young people back.”
House prices have soared and those who make it to university are graduating with thousands of pounds of debt. No wonder homeownership for the under 30s is at an all-time low.
Those who are already vulnerable suffer the most. There are now around 220,000 people in Scotland under the age of 30 who are living in poverty, half of homeless applicants here are also under 30.
The situation presents a real challenge for our young people and for the sector.
We all know how important a home is. It gives people the confidence and stability they need to go into employment, education, training or volunteering.
At Wheatley, one of the ways we are helping address the crisis is through our new-build programme which is increasing the supply of new homes for social rent.
We have also hugely increased our offerings of homes for mid-market rent through our commercial subsidiary, Lowther Homes. Mid-market rent homes offer people on modest incomes good quality, affordable homes for rent and they are proving popular with young people.
But it is about more than addressing housing supply. We need to address the drivers of poverty, deprivation and homelessness that continue to hold our young people back.
Jobs, education and training places are key ways we can give vulnerable young people the chance they need to make a difference.
The establishment of our charitable trust, Wheatley Foundation, means we can now do much more for our young people.
Our award-winning modern apprenticeship programme has helped more than 300 people get a foot on the career ladder – whether that is in housing, outdoors in our environmental teams or in care. The Wheatley Pledge means our contractors provide training and employment to people who live in our communities.
We have also helped more than 100 people from our homes into further and higher education through our bursary programme, breaking down the financial barriers they face.
We have supported people to study medicine, law, engineering and social work. One young woman told us our support “felt like a miracle”, saying she could now build a better life for her two small children.
Our new Environmental Roots Programme was set up, with the support of the Scottish Government, to give excluded young people the chance to get the skills they need to apply for our environmental apprenticeship and, eventually, a job in our environmental team. One young man started with us after a spell in prison.
We were the first people to give him a chance. Now, he can pay his rent and is starting to rebuild his relationship with his child – giving them both a much brighter future.
One of the most disadvantaged groups of young people are those leaving care.
“The tragedy of deprivation is not just people struggling to eat, stay warm and put a roof over their heads; it also holds them back from achieving what they are capable of.”
Our new allocations policy gives increased priority to young people leaving care. But we are always looking for new ways to make a difference. Wheatley Group is a passionate supporter of MCR Pathways, a pioneering mentoring scheme that supports children in and leaving care. We encourage our staff to give up an hour of their week to mentor a young person.
The results are extraordinary, with the rate of mentored young people staying in school after the age of 16 rising to 79%.
The tragedy of deprivation is not just people struggling to eat, stay warm and put a roof over their heads; it also holds them back from achieving what they are capable of.
I know we can build a stronger and fairer economy through our young people, but we all need to work together to remove the obstacles in their way. A home is just the start.
Lorraine McLaren, director, Wheatley Foundation
More on #ScottishHousingDay
Why #ScottishHousingDay is important Callum Chomczuk of CIH Scotland explains #ScottishHousingDay is all about and why you should get involved.
Your #ScottishHousingDay stories, videos and pictures A selection of your tweets from throughout the day
Social housing: Scotland's best kept secret Sally Thomas of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations reflects on why social housing is unfairly perceived as being of lower quality than other tenures
The Scottish social housing sector must do more for young people Lorraine McLaren outlines ways Wheatley Group has helped give young people more opportunities
#ScottishHousingDay receives cross-party support Politicians from across the spectrum pledge their support for #ScottishHousingDay, as housing providers launch a programme of special events.
#ScottishHousingDay Twitter Q & As
Inside Housing will be hosting two 45-minute Q&As for #ScottishHousingDay on 19 September. The first is at 9am with Jim Strang, president, Chartered Institute of Housing.
The second is with Kevin Stewart, minister for housing, planning and local government, will take place at 12.45am
To take part, simply tweet your questions using the hashtag #ScottishHousingDay once a Q&A is underway.
Follow @strangparkheadand @KevinStewartSNP to ensure you don’t miss their answers.
