Housing case studies: Access to social housing services

***This Covenant case study database is still being built. If you have any case studies about access to social housing services, suitable for adding to the database, please submit a case study.***

Employment of outreach officers

In 2012, Gateshead Council identified a lack of members of the Armed Forces Community accessing local authority housing services. A dedicated Armed Forces Outreach officer was funded to connect the council with the local Armed Forces Community. This led to a 25% increase in members of the Armed Forces Community approaching Gateshead Council for housing advice. In 2020/21, as part of a larger regional Armed Forces Outreach Service including Newcastle, Durham and Northumberland local authorities and Believe Housing, the regional service offered support to 424 members of the Community, raised £61,979 to pay rent arrears, assigned correct social housing priority to 93 members, and assisted 76 members to move into social housing.
In Glasgow, the city’s veterans’ hub Helping Heroes has a housing expert post, funded by Glasgow Housing Association, the city’s largest registered social landlord. Those interviewed in Glasgow identified that having a professional directly employed by the city’s largest registered social landlord means that the steps which many in the Community have to go through in order to get to the right advice are significantly reduced.
Councils in the Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Merthyr Tydfil have identified a gap in the provision of tailored advice and information. Posts have been created to provide direct help and advice to the Armed Forces Community on all subjects, including housing, and simple signposting to ensure the Armed Forces Community can access the right public and third sector services for them. The officers are present in the community and organise coffee mornings and other events. This is supported by a website, telephone, and email service. Face-to-face appointments can be booked at the council or at home. Since this Veteran Advice Service launched in 2017 in Cardiff, and 2018 in Vale of Glamorgan, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil, over 4,000 enquiries have been received across the four authorities.

Signposting of services

Recognising that many in the Armed Forces Community have never applied for social housing before, Hull City Council created a dedicated webpage, setting out, in clear terms, how to apply for social housing, criteria (including local connection), prioritisation of applications, and details about statutory rights and requirements.
In Wigan, the council employs a key worker for veterans and their families, who can help them navigate the public services landscape. They have also mapped all the charities in the borough. This means that they can respond to need effectively and quickly so that if, for example, housing is provided without furniture, the key worker can refer to the Charities Map to understand how they could arrange for some furniture to be provided.

Managing tenancies

A veteran had been medically discharged from the Army after suffering a brain haemorrhage. The veteran lived independently, until stress and depression led to trouble with neighbours, and he went to live with his mother. During this time, he received support from his GP to manage his depression. As his mother suffered from dementia, he began the process of having her tenancy agreement transferred to him. However, his brain injury led to him forgetting to submit the application. The tenancy was not transferred, and he was facing legal proceedings to evict him. The council and the Royal British Legion worked with the Registered Social Landlord to allow him to stay until he secured a new tenancy.