Social landlord, Riverside is carrying out research to
investigate the impact of the changes in welfare benefits on its
tenants.
The research project – Challenging Times, Changing Lives –
is following 20 families, single people and couples over the
next three years to assess financial and economic changes.
Riverside researchers are carrying out in
depth interviews every six months as part of a longitudinal study,
to gain a more detailed understanding of the impact of welfare
reform and wider economic impact on Riverside households. The
study will also inform the support structures the social landlord
puts in place to offset the impact of welfare benefit
changes.
Households are based in Wirral, Southwark,
Lambeth, Lewisham and Carlisle, with a mix of people in work, on
benefits, retired and with health issues. The results of the
first set of interviews, carried out over the summer will set a
benchmark against which to monitor future changes.
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The key findings include:
·
Immediate causes of unemployment are redundancy, health problems
and caring responsibilities
· Just
under half the participants are repaying debts on unsecured credit
or arrears in rent, council tax or utility bills
·
Budgeting techniques include turning off or reducing heat
consumption rather than searching for lower tariffs
· The
majority of households are living with long-term physical or mental
health problems and feel increasing isolation and loneliness.
Hugh Owen, director of policy and
communication at Riverside, said: “The results of the first
interviews have revealed some interesting themes, which defy the
notion that people living in social housing are irresponsible
benefit scroungers. People are doing their best to keep their
heads above water in very difficult times.”
Riverside actively campaigned against the
introduction of the bedroom tax, which penalises those on benefits
who are deemed to have a spare bedroom. It has employed money
advisors to support people with financial difficulties, as well as
those who will feel the impact of cuts to their benefit when the
bedroom tax is introduced in April.
Gill Payne, director of campaigns and
neighbourhoods for the National Housing Federation, said: “Up to
one million people across the country could struggle with their
rent and end up in debt due to the Government’s welfare shakeup.
These are the biggest changes to benefits in a generation and they
will impact on people who are working hard to make ends meet in
tough financial times. More than 10,000 extra working people every
month need housing benefit to help pay their rent.
“The long-term research by Riverside on the
impact on individual families, couples and single people will be an
invaluable way of tracking the financial, economic and human costs
of these changes.”
Hugh Owen added: “This research
should support the housing sector’s opposition to introducing any
more stringent cut backs that affect the very poorest in
society.”