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Why it is vital to invest in communities, not just properties

Schemes that help tenants into work benefit landlords as well, writes Will Quince

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Will Quince visits the scheme (picture: Department for Work and Pensions)
Will Quince visits the scheme (picture: Department for Work and Pensions)
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Schemes that help tenants into work benefit landlords as well, writes Will Quince #ukhousing

Why it is vital to invest in communities, not just properties, by DWP minister Will Quince #ukhousing

Everybody should have access to a home, employment and the opportunity to live and eat well. With all these things in place, anything is possible.

Sadly, the longer people are out of employment, the more likely it is for other aspects of their life to suffer, including their health, relationships and self-esteem. This can lead to a downward spiral, making it even harder to get a job.

Housing association Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) recognises this: they believe that to get people ready for work, you have to address a wide range of barriers.

Thanks to a helping hand from financial institution J.P Morgan, they are taking a unique, holistic approach to supporting residents of all ages into employment.

And it’s an approach that is working.


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This week I visited the Transform and Achieve project – an innovative programme open to housing association residents in east London who are out of work, with the aim of supporting them into employment, training or volunteering.

MTVH’s project forms part of the Communities that Work campaign, which is led by membership body Give Us A Chance, to raise awareness of the work that housing associations do to help people into work.

“Applying this well-rounded focus to an employment programme breaks new ground and the early results speak for themselves”

Since its launch last year, more than 200 people have taken part in MTVH’s Transform and Achieve programme, and almost half have found a job after completing the course.

During the free, six-week programme, participants are not only provided with employment training, they are also supported with coaching in mental well-being, nutrition and fitness.

Applying this well-rounded focus to an employment programme breaks new ground and the early results speak for themselves.

At the Department for Work and Pensions, our job centre work coaches treat customers as individuals, not numbers. And the transformative impact of this tailored approach is something they see regularly.

Similarly, Transform and Achieve programme coaches are making a huge difference, helping residents grow in confidence, understanding what obstacles they have in their lives.

Close relationships are soon formed on the journey towards gaining employment.

And like our very own job centre work coaches, these people are making a huge difference. They are changing residents’ lives.

“Creating long-term and genuinely sustainable employment opportunities for residents is vital for residents to sustain their own tenancies. The message here is clear: help each other”

But it’s not enough to just focus on the individuals. My department regularly engages with employers on a range of issues because businesses must play their part, too. That’s why it’s so encouraging to see institutions like J.P Morgan, a firm with strong links in the area, realise the impact of programmes like this.

MTVH is listening carefully to what their residents need and aspire to, and they are delivering services and solutions that bring about change.

Creating long-term and genuinely sustainable employment opportunities for residents is vital for residents to sustain their own tenancies. The message here is clear: help each other.

While the programme is led by MTVH, and funded by JP Morgan, they are working in collaboration with other housing associations to deliver it, including: Peabody, Swan, L&Q and Poplar Harca. The hope now is to extend the programme beyond east London.

A job and a home touches all aspects of a person’s life, and with housing associations like MTVH recognising this, it can only be positive for the residents and communities they exist to serve.

Will Quince, parliamentary under secretary of state for family support, housing and child maintenance, Department for Work and Pensions

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