Resident Involvement Could Save Sector 'Millions'

Resident participation could save the sector millions, a minister has claimed, following the publication of government-backed research into tenant involvement. Stephen Williams, communities minister, said £118m could be wiped off housing associations’ costs at the publication of a review into Amicus Horizon’s resident involvement schemes. The report, Success, Satisfaction & Scrutiny, undertaken by the University of Westminster and backed by the CLG, examined six years’ worth of data from the 28,000-home landlord’s key performance indicators and financial accounts. The report identified a total of £6.64 million annual cost savings across twenty landlords, ranging from £1,000 savings in one landlord to £2 million in another. Download the report from the Amicus Horizon website.

Poverty Definition Should Include Housing

A leading think tank has called on the government to adopt a much broader definition of poverty that includes factors such as housing.  Demos has launched a new model for assessing poverty based on an 18-month research project, Poverty in perspective, and analysed data from a survey of 40,000 households. The model consists of 20 indicators including heating, neighbourhood deprivation, neighbourhood support, household composition, tenure, and overcrowding.  The researchers applied this model to low-income households to gain a better understanding of the factors driving child poverty, resulting in five social groups.  Download a copy of the report from the Demos website.