Social landlords support Bristol residents back into work

Sovereign South+West Press Release
Date: 19 January 2012

Social landlords support Bristol residents back into work

All social housing tenants in Bristol now have access to support to find work, thanks to a joint initiative from the housing associations that make up the Bristol Housing Partnership (BHP).

The social landlords have made a commitment – the BHP Bristol Offer to Assist Residents into Work - to provide all residents with clear information about the services available to them and the paths they need to take to find employment, as well as support throughout a person’s transition to work. The ‘Bristol Offer’ initiative came about through an offshoot of BHP’s subgroup ‘Into Work’, which focuses on worklessness.

Despite its thriving economy, Bristol still has areas affected by long-term unemployment, and a substantial proportion of the people affected live in social housing. Social housing providers estimate that 60 per cent of their tenants are out of work, representing around 75 per cent of unemployed people in Bristol.

Many unemployed people living in social housing face barriers to getting back into work, including a lack of relevant skills and experience, disabilities or caring responsibilities. All of these can lead to a loss of confidence.

“They need a lot of support to overcome these obstacles. While a network of support agencies exists, many people need support in finding out how to engage with them,” said Sarah Jones, Neighbourhoods Regeneration Manager at Places for People.

“For someone who has been out of work for a long time, the path back to employment can seem long and daunting. This is a concerted effort by Bristol’s social housing providers to tackle this problem and help people who have found it hard to engage with support agencies to access vital information and training with a view to finding sustainable and worthwhile employment.”

As part of this effort, earlier this year, with funding from Bristol City Council, the partnership appointed a dedicated full-time Employment and Learning Officer to support unemployed residents back into work and training.

“The landlords represented in the partnership have a big stake in Bristol, and are keen to play our part in tackling deprivation in the city,” said Gez Bentley, Employment and Training Links Coordinator with Sovereign South+West. “Housing providers are ideally placed to help identify those in need of support. We already have contact with them and enjoy a degree of trust.

“By joining forces, we can offer a consistent level of support to a much greater number of residents, and this will result in efficiencies. Ultimately we hope that this will result in fewer social housing residents being on benefits, which will result in a reduction in rent arrears and property maintenance costs,” he added.

Notes to editors:

* The members of the Bristol Housing Partnership are: Bristol City Council (BCC), Places for People, Sovereign South+West, Bristol Community Housing Foundation, Knightstone Housing Association, 16-25 Independent Living, Solon South West Housing Association, Redland Housing Association and Second Step.

* If you would like more information, please contact Roy Probert, Public Relations Manager for Sovereign, on 01635 277406 or 07827 356479, or email roy.probert@sovereign.org.uk