Creating thriving communities
Our social purpose is at the heart of everything we do which is why we invest money in resident events, training, employment support and community projects, as well as provide advice to support residents in the communities we work in.
We continue to run our Worksmart training and employment referral service and have introduced a new grant to fund construction training courses for residents. And with all the changes to the benefits system as result of Universal Credit, our Income Team has also continued to help residents who are affected.
£1.7m
recovered in unclaimed benefits by our Income Team
133
residents signed up to Worksmart
Improving job prospects for people in our communities
Through our Worksmart training and employment referral service, we support our residents to achieve their goals such as looking for a job, changing career or looking for training opportunities. We work with a number of agencies which deliver one to one support, CV advice and employability skills and job seeking sessions. We also job match and promote suitable training for residents on a weekly basis. This year, 133 residents signed up for our Worksmart referral service.
At the start of 2019, we launched Building Futures Grant, which provides residents with funding for construction training courses.
1,330
Network Homes hours of support given
33
residents improved their CVs
5
unemployed residents got work experience or accredited training
4
pupils from a local school secured work experience placements
Successful
apprenticeship at our subsidiary SW9 Community Housing
8
residents found new jobs
Partnership
with Brent Council jobs fair
8
residents took training courses in construction. Our aim is for 15 in 2019/20.
Meet Karimm
Karimm German, a Network Homes resident, secured a full-time job at Oakray as an Improver after completing a 10-week pre-apprenticeship programme.
Karimm was doing a part-time course studying a Level 3 Diploma in Natural Gas. As part of his course, he needed to get some practical hands-on experience. However, because of the competitive nature of the industry, he was struggling to find a placement.
And that’s where our Worksmart training and employment service cames in! Hear from Karimm about his journey to securing a full-time job.
Helping people affected by the benefit changes
Welfare reform has continued to have an impact on residents in our communities. All the local authority areas where we have homes have now moved to Universal Credit for new claimants, and the number of residents affected is increasing. Our Income Team has continued to support our residents who have been impacted by the changes to benefits, by providing them with advice and information, as well as access to local services. This year, they’ve helped to recover £1.7 million in unclaimed benefits for residents.
Catherine gets life back on track
Catherine is one of our younger residents and lives in supported housing. Her English is very limited, and she had a serious accident a few years ago which left her with life changing injuries. She received substantial compensation and notified all the relevant agencies.
All of her disability and housing benefits had stopped and despite her injuries she’d been found ‘fit for work’. She won her appeal against this decision but still received no money, nor was her housing benefit suspension lifted. By the time she contacted us, Catherine was weeks away from being evicted due to rent arrears. We were eventually able get the housing benefit suspension lifted, resulting in her housing benefit being backdated and totally clearing her arrears, therefore ensuring her home is secure.