There have been many discussions recently on how poor economic growth and new welfare reforms will affect the social housing sector, especially how the new Universal Credit scheme will change the way landlords, tenants, and landlord insurance providers work together. However, one housing agency has said that housing associations need to do more in the face of an uncertain future, especially when it comes to tenants that have children whom are experiencing poverty.
Dr Caroline Wolhuter is the research manager for Ashram Housing Association and in an article for The Guardian said that housing associations need to work harder with their tenants to alleviate the problem of child poverty across the UK. According to Save the Children, three and a half million children are currently living in poverty in the UK, and based upon their work with the Institute of Fiscal Studies, the Child Poverty Action Group predicts that by 2020 there will be almost one billion children in the UK who are in poverty.
In order to combat this, Dr Wolhuter is planning on training all the front-line staff at Ashram Housing in poverty awareness and wants them to help educate households on the uptake of benefits and other key services that can help them during the worst economic times. She said that during the summer holidays many parents struggle to afford meals for their children, especially as during school terms the meals are funded by the government, therefore they are planning on rolling out the Holiday Kitchen plan. This is where families who have pre and primary school children can take their children to community based projects where their children will be able to learn, play, and have lunch during the school holidays.
Dr Wolhunter said: “The reality in our communities is that thousands of children are going hungry and without adequate clothing, on our watch. To overlook this by thinking it is someone else’s responsibility is not something housing associations should be in the business of doing. Ashram has a historical and successful commitment to promoting social inclusion and addressing unmet community needs. We can draw upon the expertise, the experience and sound financial planning of our partners in the housing sector to mitigate against risks and deliver not just housing and support, but new services that meet the evolving needs of the people we work with.”