Social housing
Preparing social housing for the future As economic hardship continues to rise in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Shaun Aldis chief executive of Wolverhampton Homes argues a rise in homelessness doesn’t have to follow as a consequence. Here, he examines how with the right tools, authorities can keep figures as low as they have been during the Covid-19 pandemic or even lower Stay at home, save lives. The measures emerging innovations can have on the imposed during lockdown underlined the safety, security and wellbeing of residents. importance of having a roof over your head There is enormous potential for for health, for safety and security, for home technologies such as digital communications, schooling or for work. And yet for many, AI and IoT to transform the way housing with the worrying increase in unemployment providers support their most vulnerable figures, the threat of becoming homeless residents and relieve some of the has never felt so palpable a pressures the housing sector face. possibility as it does now. Now more than ever, the Getting ahead need to identify risk and of the curve Accord intervene early is crucial The precarious economic to the h ing if authorities are to situation facing many who o u s i c n harity S g keep people in their have been furloughed estimat helter, an homes and off the and are now facing streets. Technology redundancy, together adult reed 227,000 n had already started with those who have t e r s have fallen in to play a vital role been unable to return in helping housing to work because of since th to arrears e providers tackle illness or shielding, the pan start of the challenges of a pose a real threat of d e mic pre-Covid-19 world, adding to the numbers and we’ve witnessed as the ‘new’ homeless. first- hand the positive impact According to the housing charity
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Shelter, an estimated 227,000 adult renters have fallen into arrears since the start of the pandemic and even with the extension to the national eviction ban, councils are bracing themselves for an unwanted rise in the number of potential residents facing homelessness. Health officials are already warning an ‘avalanche’ of homelessness could drive up Covid-19 infection rates, fuelling the prospect of a second wave. Staying Alert It’s vital then, that authorities can identify risk factors like financial stress at an early stage and target support before the threat of eviction becomes a reality. Having access to good quality data means we can anticipate difficulties and work together with residents to find a solution before it becomes a crisis. A 360-degree view of residents gives us the opportunity to see the whole picture and step in with early practical support. For instance, if a person is on a zero hours contract and the fluctuation in earnings has
