Social landlords asked to tackle unemployment
Communities secretary John Denham has called on social landlords to fight worklessness among their tenants.
Announcing a new £40 million job and skills drive as part of the Working Neighbourhood fund on Friday, Mr Denham said one of the most effective ways of reaching out to the long-term unemployed was through social landlords, who already had relationships with their tenants.
The additional money will encourage 61 councils to prepare unemployed people for the workplace. Social landlords can act as a ‘doorway’ in these interventions, Mr Denham said.
Housing minister John Healey added: ‘There is scope for social landlords to do more to support tenants. We know that councils and housing associations tend to be trusted by their tenants and that many already provide advice services and want to do more.
‘As part of their service to tenants I want to see more landlords offering the “better off in work” calculations, which tell people how much better off they’d be in a job and give them more confidence in making the leap from welfare to work.’
David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: ‘Housing associations are increasingly recognised as key community anchors. They have the trust of their residents and are always working in partnership to provide meaningful employment and training opportunities.’
