Housing Corporation News Release

Tackling worklessness debate welcomed by Housing Corporation

5 February 2008       11/08

Housing Corporation Chief Executive Steve Douglas today welcomed new Housing Minister Caroline Flint's speech to the Fabian Society Future of Housing Conference.

Housing Corporation Chief Executive Steve Douglas said:

"We welcome the  debate about tackling the high levels of  worklessness amongst tenants in social housing, which the Minister has called for in her speech today."

"Housing Associations already have a wide range of measures in place to help tenants into work, and  we see this as a great opportunity to build on  going forwards."

As outlined in a recent report commissioned by the Housing Corporation, Housing Associations already recognise worklessness as a concern for their tenants and have already implemented over 900 projects across the country to tackle the issue.

Key report findings included:

• between 2003 and 2008, housing associations have or will have invested £209.5 million in revenue funded projects. Of the £209.5m invested, associations contributed £104.46m and raised £105.06m from partners achieving leverage of 50% through match funding;
• 874 projects were reported - 39% of projects address jobs and enterprise and 61% education and skills development; 
• 8,000 non-construction jobs are being created through worklessness projects on an annual basis;
• 26,000 training weeks are provided each year in the non-construction field; 
• almost 22,000 people benefit from confidence building personal and social skills development assisting ‘employability’; 
• one in 12 projects is delivered in partnership with business,  one in ten with Jobcentre Plus and one in seven with schools, colleges and universities.

Ends.

For more press information contact Nicole Davey 020 7393 2118.

Notes for editors:

1) Housing Corporations research 'Housing  associations tackling worklessness'  was published in November 2007 and is available on the Housing Corporations website.

2) The Housing Corporation is responsible for regulating housing associations, which provide some two million homes across England. 

3) The Housing Corporation is the Government's national affordable homes agency, responsible for investing in new affordable homes and regulating nearly 2,000 housing associations across England. The Corporation's £8 billion investment programme for 2008-11 is its biggest ever. Its previous investment programme of £3.9 billion for 2006-08 is funding 84,000 homes; 49,000 of these are for affordable rent, and 35,000 are for affordable sale through the Government's HomeBuy initiatives, helping people to get a foot on the property ladder.

4)  The Housing Corporation is working with English Partnerships and Communities and Local Government to establish the proposed Homes and Communities Agency and Office for Tenants and Social Landlords.