We will support our customers to navigate the cost-of-living crisis, offering a range of additional services and empowering communities to become more resilient to the challenges they face.

The past few years have presented a range of serious challenges for our customers and the communities they live in. The impact of the cost-of-living crisis is affecting many families across the UK but for poorer households, particularly those in social housing, the impact is even more significant.

We are already taking a proactive approach to support our customers through a number of services, including employment support, money advice and affordable warmth under our ‘Let’s Talk…’ campaign.

We have recently stepped up our resources for this type of work, and another of our merger pledges is to support customer livelihoods and communities through a £2.5m fund (inflating each year) administered by the Riverside Foundation.

We’ve also been able to provide direct financial support to customers through an enhanced hardship fund – Helping Hand – and have helped tackle food poverty through emergency payments to local food projects.

There is now the opportunity to take a more strategic approach and set out clear objectives to direct the way we support our customers through these difficult times, either through our mainstream services, or through the additional services the Foundation is able to fund.

Over the next three years, we will:

Prevent evictions and homelessness by proactively working with customers to sustain their tenancies.

Support the livelihoods of our customers through projects that provide advice and support and build capacity for people to improve their own lives – going beyond the traditional landlord service.

Promote community resilience and empowerment, by supporting new and existing voluntary groups who are trying to make life better in our neighbourhoods.