We know how difficult talking about a rent increase can be. Especially when times are already hard. 

To address this, our CEO and Finance Director organised a focus group with our Customer Community. They wanted to explain why there are sometimes rent changes, but most importantly, hear your views on how this impacts you and how we might be able to help and support.

Feedback from the group was wide-ranging and it’s clear that people will be affected in different ways by any rent increase, especially when the cost of living is increasing for everyone.

The feedback we received: 

• That we need to work closer with the job centre and education centres. 
• There's still a cost of living crisis - it's not just rent going up. 
• That homes could be better value for money, specifically focusing on being energy-efficient.

So, what we did...

• We've started working closer with the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) to support our customers in becoming more financially independent and finding employment
• We're working with local job centers on current, helpful courses for our customers. 
• Arrangements have been made for specific training sessions for our customers' specific requirements. These sessions will be provided at no additional cost, with our only obligation being to provide the training space. This includes customer service, IT proficiency, job application and interview training. 
• We are also exploring options for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and financial management courses to be rolled out in Q4.