Will welfare reform address problems rather than creating greater ones?

This post is not about the pros and cons of welfare reform.  I think many of the ambitions behind welfare reform are to be welcomed. Rather, this post looks at the practical implementation of these measures and some unintended consequences.

Regarding the Bedroom Tax (I feel I can call it that given that on Monday a government minister at a conference organised by Crisis accepted that that is the phrase he uses) is resulting in a large proportion of tenants failing to pay the resulting shortfall in their rent.  Riverside Group has revealed that around half of its 6,000 households receiving housing benefit had not paid anything at all to cover the shortfall.  A quarter had contributed something but were not paying their rent in full.  Just one in four tenants impacted by the bedroom tax paid the full amount.

Guinness Partnership said that around 1,000 of their 3,000 tenants affected by the under occupation regulations have not met the shortfall.  Their experience is similar to a number of other housing associations around the country.  Inside Housing is covering this issue on its front page in today’s edition.

Because we tend to work almost exclusively with single homeless people, and our housing stock is largely one-bedroom flats, this is not an issue amongst our tenants. However, I would anticipate that, in due course, we will begin seeing tenants of other social landlords presenting at our advice centres in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings requiring assistance because they are facing eviction.

There have been warnings about this which have gone largely unheeded.  A more widespread risk relates to the payment of rent direct to tenants rather than to landlords.  This will undermine the confidence of private landlords to take people who are receiving housing benefit, see an increase in arrears and bad debts faced by landlords in both the private rented and social sectors, and cause a loss of confidence amongst financial institutions who lend money for the building of homes for rent.

Julian Ashby, the chair of the regulation committee at the Homes and Communities Agency has warned that housing providers face being hit by a ‘double whammy’ of increased rent collection costs and reduced income due to welfare reform.

In a report published today by Housemark, it has been estimated that social landlords face losing £1.4 billion of rental income a year as a result of welfare reform.

There is also concern amongst social housing providers regarding the move to making claims online.  In a survey taken in November 2012, Ipsos Mori showed that just 60% of local authority tenants and 64% of housing association tenants had access to the Internet.  I’m not aware of any similar research regarding tenants in the private rented sector but, given the efforts taken by social landlords to increase digital inclusion, and in the absence of a similar programme in the private rented sector, I would imagine digital inclusion is much, much lower.

BHT did its own survey around that time and we found that79% of our clients, tenants of both private and social landlords as well as some owner occupiers, and meaningful access to the Internet.  However, when you remove the provision made available to our clients by BHT itself, that number falls to 19%.

There is still time for the government to pause and think about whether it is going about these matters in a way that will address problems rather than creating greater ones.

Confessions of a secret email hoarder

This is a very scary day.  Yesterday, following on from my recent blog about emails, The curse of the humble email, I spent a couple of hours with my PA looking at the psychology of emails.  She had been on a course on Tuesday that is destined to change forever my email life!

I mentioned in an early post that the top tip regarding emails from Valerie Pearce at Brighton and Hove City Council is to “prioritise and delete”.

Some people are hoarders of emails, with tens of thousands of emails festering in their inbox.  They do not have a hope in hell of having anything other than a nightmare relationship with emails.  How can anyone keep track of even 100 emails let alone 18,000?

I thought I was quite good at ordering my emails.  As soon as they had been dealt with they were dragged into one of twenty to thirty sub-folders in my ‘Received’ folder.  The theory was that this makes for easy retrieval.

All well and good, except when my inbox begins to groan under 100, 200, even 500 emails.  The psychology is that emails equate to anxiety.  I had developed a need to check my emails at every possible opportunities, and I began to prioritise quick wins at the expense of, perhaps, more important emails.  It gave me the allusion that I was coping.  Yet all that was happening was that important emails were backing up, sadly neglected.

Like the classic alcoholic, I began to hoard emails in folders called ‘Pending’, then ‘Pending November’, Pending December’ and ‘Pending January’, along with ‘Pending Nikki’, Pending Wendy’ and a good two dozen or so of the email equivalent to hiding a bottle of alcohol behind the books.  It gave the illusion I was coping.

The irony is that when I looked at these emails, several hundred in total, most were unimportant, that I had been copied in for information, or the issue was long gone and forgotten. Once again I reflected how easy it is to be copied in to things that are not central to my job.

So why is today so scary.  Gone are the various ‘Pending’ folders.  They have been replaced by just four. I have been introduced to the four D’s – ‘Do’, ‘Delete’, ‘Defer’ and ‘Delegate’.

Then there is ’Email Death Row’.  I must admit I am really not at all sure about this last one, having had a lifelong aversion to the death penalty having read Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country as a young boy.

‘Email Death Row’ relates to are for those emails you don’t know whether you want to deal with, or have time to deal with.  You know that at some point you will kill them off.  These emails could be the overwhelming majority that don’t necessarily need attention, the circulars, the group emails, the ‘cc’ for information emails.

I’ll blog again at a later date about whether this approach has improved my well being.  In the meantime, if you want to find out more about Think Productive’s excellent email training workshops (it is far more thought-provoking than that sounds) contact http://www.thinkproductive.co.uk or email Graham Allcott at hello@thinkproductive.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @grahamallcott or @thinkproductive.  Graham is also the author of the book “How to be a Productivity Ninja”.

John Holmström leaves BHT: my thanks and best wishes to him

For the last three months or so, BHT has been undertaking a review of its management structure.  The aim of this review has been to establish a structure that is right for the organisation as it faces up to various challenges expected over the next five years.

With the proposed new structure there is no scope for retaining the post of Assistant Chief Executive.  John Holmström, the current post holder, agrees that changes have to be made to the senior management of BHT and helpfully recognises that  the organisation cannot proceed with someone solely dedicated to the role he carries out.  His duties will be distributed to other positions and John has decided to take voluntary redundancy.

In order that these changes can take place as soon as possible it has been agreed that it is best if he leaves with immediate effect, thus giving us all the chance to adjust to a new way of working.  I will be in touch with John from time to time with regard to handover issues and I appreciate John putting himself forward to be contacted in this way even though he will have officially left his post.  We have worked together for many  years and I will miss him.

At some point soon I hope to announce a gathering at which we can say a proper goodbye to John and thank him for all his good work.  Unfortunately, due to the short notice of this decision it has not been possible to sort this out yet.

I would like to thank John for his service to BHT since the mid 1980’s, for the contribution he has made to services for homeless men and women in Brighton and East Sussex, and the difference he has made to our communities.

Does size matter when it comes to Twitter?

@SallyBercow recently tweeted to her fifty thousand followers a link to a post of my blog. Those close to me will know how chuffed I was because in an hour or so I had more hits than I usually have in a month. The post was about the speech the Prime Minister made regarding the possible removal of housing benefit for those under 25.

It coincided with a workshop I ran on Twitter within BHT. We were looking at how BHT can increase its influence through Twitter. In preparation for this we began monitoring the number of followers the 20 or so BHT tweeters have.

Three of my colleagues saw a 50% increase in their followers over a 3 week period:

• @LizDaviesBHT had an 88% increase. Liz is really worth following as she tweets and retweets a range of really interesting things;
• @BowlerHelen had a 76% increase. Helen is an inspirational tutor in our Hastings Finding Futures Project and uses Twitter to celebrate the achievements of her learners, young men and women who many had written off;
• @BHTAdvice had a 52% increase. This account highlights what is happening in the advice world and anyone concerned about changes to welfare benefits and cuts to legal aid should follow this account.

But in preparing for the workshop I came to realise that size doesn’t matter when it comes to Twitter. It is the quality of the followers that counts. Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, follows just 5 people. If you are an economist and you are followed by her, you will have been noticed at the highest level.

It can be very flattering to be followed by several hundred or even several thousand people. But if each of them, in turn, follow several thousand people, the chances are that you are not being followed at all. I can’t imagine that two of my ‘followers’ @SallyBercow (following 3,951 people) even notices my musings on @SussexCCC nor @campbellclaret (following 5,071 people) on my fascination with southern hemisphere rugby.

It has been said that it is possible to effectively follow a maximum of 150 people on Twitter. In this respect, size DOES matter. I know that I often just skim through my Twitter feed, focusing on just a minority of those on whose tweets I pause.

In considering whether you are being successful on Twitter, do the following simple exercise: decide who are the people you most want to be engaged with on Twitter. It might by 5, 50 or 500 people. Are they following you? If they are, great, if not you are probably not being effective on Twitter. A colleague of mine who deals with the media has a list of around 12, all journalists. She doesn’t need many more followers.

What is of equal important is that she is following anyone who has an interest in the work of @BHT_Sussex and the issues impacting on our clients. Most activity on Twitter, or blogs for that matter, is reading and reflecting. If you spend at least 95% of your time reading and reflecting, you may almost be getting the right balance.

Anyone who just uses Twitter to promote their own ‘fascinating’ version of the world will not attract, nor keep, followers.

BHT Intern Programme: The views of an Intern

There was a mixed response to the recent item in the Brighton Argus regarding BHT’s Intern Programme. I responded on Twitter and on this blog, but yesterday I received the following from someone on the Programme:

“My internship…

“Before moving to Brighton & Hove, I had no idea of Community and Voluntary Sector (CVS) or even the idea of community. Having completed my degree in philosophy I had always worked in the private sector whilst being conscious of the fact I needed to be beneficial to our society. Having managed a business for four years working round the clock, I burnt myself out and made myself ill, all for the aim of making money.

“I moved to Brighton and stopped working due to personal issues. I wanted to take advantage of the situation to change my career path. I wanted to work in the CVS in order to add value to my life by improving the lives of others. I started out as a volunteer in my local community group. I quickly moved on to organising large events and running a local community magazine. I felt that this sector added value to my life and enabled me to help others. Due to medical reasons I have been unable to work professionally but I’m very eager to get over these issues and start to work in the CVS in a capacity that best suits my skills and values.

“Without any recognised qualifications and having been out of the professional work environment for a long time, I needed a platform to achieve my goal of getting back into work in this sector. Brighton Housing Trust’s Intern program is the perfect opportunity.

“Before starting my internship I took on some voluntary work, helping a small charity aimed at improving the area in Hove. I helped organise large events, creating a community magazine and running the community café. I learnt a large amount by volunteering and it gave my life a sense of purpose. The government’s new volunteering policy, expecting people to volunteer in order to receive their benefits or social housing, so long as it’s managed correctly, it’s a great idea. Volunteering certainly gave my life focus and opened my mind to new possibilities as well as revealing hidden skills I never knew I had.

“There have been articles written arguing that BHT has taken advantage of these new legislations regarding their new Intern program. As I mentioned above volunteering really does pay you back in kind but the intern program is a totally different kettle of fish. With the intern I may not be getting paid financially but the level of precision in BHT’s delivery will certainly lead to getting a paid job in the sector I wish to work in.

“The intern application was managed in a very professional manner with a process that emulates a real job application. I had to give references, fill application forms, as well as have several interviews and meetings both with the Intern co-ordinator and the team of the service I applied to do the intern with. Since I started I have been treated with the upmost respect as a valid team member.

“Right from the off, personal development plans have been implemented, guidelines set and frequent supervisions. The supervisions are a key part of the internship. They provide the opportunity to have an open and honest discussion with both myself and my mentor about how I’m progressing, work on my personal development plan and discuss other matters such as training opportunities to further increase my employability. This professionalism and structure is often missing in voluntary roles

“The team are very understanding with regards to personal issues an example being my arthritis. They help by going through my difficulties and creating solutions and coping strategies. Not only that but all of the staff members have very friendly and eager to help whenever I get stuck or don’t understand something fully.

“I certainly don’t feel that BHT are taking advantage of me or any of the other interns. It’s a reciprocal relationship and the more you put in the more you get out. I’m fully confident that by the time my six months intern is finished, I’ll have a fantastic CV and a great amount of relevant experience to maximise my employability, which is obviously exactly what both parties aim to achieve.”

Four proposals for tackling the housing shortage in Brighton & Hove including 750 homes at Toads Hole Valley

Nobby Clarke worked on the railways in Sussex for much of his life.  He was also a councillor in Brighton for almost 50 years and his proudest moment was when he became Mayor of his adopted town. He used to write a column for a local paper quaintly entitled ‘Twixt Down and Sea’ and one of his greatest passions was housing.

Twixt Down and Sea could summarise why there are few options available to tackle the housing shortage in Brighton and Hove, hemmed in as it is between the South Downs National Park and the sea.

But because there is an ever-increasing demand for homes in the City, compromises must be made and something must be done. And something can be done. Here are four measures for tackling the housing shortage in Brighton and Hove:

Go up: if we can’t go north, south, east or west, we can go up.  There is a presumption against tall buildings but perhaps, with good design, some should be allowed.  I think there has been a missed opportunity not putting 20 stories of student housing above the Open Market.  There are excellent transport links to the universities, outdoor space on the Level, and would have helped to regenerate London Road.

Greater density: my colleague at BHT, John Holmstrom, has coined the phrase ‘Transition Housing’. It describes a new type of housing, compact, self-contained kitchenette and shower room, with communal facilities such as shared laundries and allotments on the roof. It would be short term accommodation aimed at those struggling to compete in the housing market, allowing them to create a track-record as tenants and save for deposits. BHT is involved in a scheme that incoporates transitional housing but early indications suggest that we might run into difficulties with the planners.  That would be a shame since there is private finance available to enable the development of this housing which would be used for social purpose.

Empty properties: the City Council does a fine job in this regard but there is more that could be done, not least in properties above shops.  Robbust action should be taken when homes are left vacant or allowed to fall into disrepair.

Toads Hole Valley: this is a political hot potatoe at present, but I can’t see why.  There is a desperate need for housing and this last undeveloped site MUST be used for housing. It is an unkempt site and is suitable for development.  It is has been suggested that 750 homes could be built on the site and is a real opportunity to include hundreds of council or housing association properties.  If this opportunity is not taken up, future generations will not thank us.

PS: There is confusion over the name: is it Toad’s, Toads or Toad Hole Valley?  Different authorities use different variations.

Am I getting it right on Twitter? Your feedback would be appreciated.

Over the weekend I lost 3 followers on Twitter. I was indulging my passion for the South African rugby and posted several tweets regarding the Boks 22-17 victory over England. By the end of the match the number of followers had gone down by 3.

From time to time (okay, quite regularly) I will tweet about Sussex County Cricket Club, Stoke City and South African cricket. However, the vast majority of what I put on twitter relates to my work at Brighton Housing Trust. Indeed, my ‘twitter handle’ is @AndyWinterBHT. I comment on things to do with housing and homelessness, social policy, and other issues directly affecting BHT clients. I re-tweet interesting things that other people say on these subjects.

I’m now doing a review on whether I am getting it right on Twitter. I would be interested to know what you think: should I be doing more on social policy or are you particularly keen to learn more about southern hemisphere rugby? Should I tweet more or are you tempted to unfollow me because what I tweet is of no interest to you at all?

Good practice suggests that Twitter is at its best when those posting are authentic, that it is not ‘corporate’, and that the person behind the job title comes through. I hope I am at least part way there, but I would welcome any feedback you might have, either by leaving a comment, direct messaging me on Twitter, or by emailing me

Many thanks

Providing highly-rated support to men and women in Eastbourne

I have been sent quotes from clients of BHT’s Home Works project in Eastbourne which we run in a partnership with Southdown Housing Association. The service is funded by East Sussex County Council through the Supporting People programme.

“…the workers have given me more confidence and I can do things I couldn’t believe (possible)”

“…the support and guidance was amazing.  She has helped build my confidence and made me a stronger, happier person”

“…from start to finish my needs were met beyond my expectation……there is always room for improvement although since I have received such good support I fail to see where improvements could be made”

“I am in awe of the support that I have been given”

“…without doubt I would not still be here if not for you and your team…”

“…I have accessed Housing Benefit myself to get my rent paid directly to me after having meetings with my worker, I have more capability to do things on my own…”

“…..I was treated with respect and as an individual despite my disability, and my personal choice adhered to…”

What is great about Home Works is that men and women from across East Sussex don’t have to worry about approaching different organisations. It is just Home Works whether you live in Eastbourne, Hastings, Wealden, Rother or Lewes. You can be assured of a first class service whether it is provided by BHT or Southdown staff

If you live in Eastbourne, Lewes or Wealden, contact Home Works West on 01273 898700

If you live in Hastings or Rother, contact Home Works East on 01424 858341

BHT’s Intern Programme is responding to the needs of BHT clients

Over the last few days, following an article in the Brighton Argus, there have been some comments made about BHT’s decision to launch its Intern Programme.  Of course with the scandalous revelations this weekend regarding unpaid labour and the stewarding of Jubilee events, the focus undoubtedly would return to the merits and, more to the point, negative sides of internships.

One critic on Twitter has written “so shocked Brighton Housing Trust, which has an honourable history promoting social justice, is joining workfare – why? Unpaid internship undermines labour markets – flooding job market with unpaid work is no solution to unemployment!”

BHT is offering 40 unpaid internships to its current and former clients. We wish they could be paid positions but the current economic climate does not allow this. It is our ambition to pay not just the National Minimum Wage, but to pay the Brighton Living Wage which is higher.

This is not “workfare”. Under workfare, recipients have to meet certain participation requirements to continue to receive their welfare benefits.  An important criterion for our programme is that participants engage voluntarily in the programme.  We are not engaged with any of the government backed schemes.

Those who are taking up the opportunities we are offering are current and former clients of BHT. Many of them will have had years of unemployment.  They will have addressed the causes that led them, for example, to homelessness, addiction, and mental ill health.  While they are able and talented, they lack experience of the workplace. Gaining such experience makes a difference between long-term unemployment and securing jobs.

We didn’t launch the BHT Intern Programme without first consulting clients and making sure that they were happy with what we were proposing. Without the support of potential beneficiaries we would not have made to the investment to ensure that this is a good programme.

Many employers, including BHT, are spoilt for choice when it comes to filling vacancies in the current market.  BHT has a commitment that 15% of our staff will be former clients by the end of 2013.  Currently 30 (12%) of our staff are former clients.  With the Intern Programme I anticipate that we will easily exceed that 15% target.

Digital and Financial Exclusion Deepens

My colleague, Marc, recently alerted my to a great offer from Brighton and Hove buses for regular bus users in the City. As a result of the introduction of smart cards, big savings can be made on the cost of fares. A day saver with a smart card is £3.20, from a shop in advance £4.00 and from the bus driver £4.40. A weekly saver is £15 with the smart card and £19 from a shop and the monthly saver is £58 with the smart card and £68 from a shop.

As a regular bus user (I’m one of those relatively rare individuals who not only doesn’t have a car, but I’ve never learned to drive), I certainly will be getting a smart card.

Now, contrary to appearances, this post isn’t a free plug for Roger French or Brighton and Hove Buses. It is a post about digital and financial exclusion. A few years ago the was some research that said that it costs those who are poor more than £1,000 per annum to pay for basic items than people like me who are not poor. It is known as the ‘Poverty Premium’. This is how it works:

If you are digitally and financially rich, you can advantage of shopping around on the Internet for the best gas and electricity deals, get discounts for paying by direct debit, and taking advantage of similar opportunities. Credit through my bank or mortgage company is cheaper for me than someone who has to take their chances with payday loan companies or worst still door step lenders. If I need a new cooker, I have the disposable income to buy one. If you have to use one of the infamous high street outlets, the cooker that would cost me £159 cash, will cost you £406 when charges and high interest rates are taken into account.

And now we have smart cards. I will, once again, benefit, from a daily saver that costs me £3.20 and some clients of BHT £4.40 from the driver.

The challenge for BHT, for Brighton and Hove Buses, for the City Council, is to find ways that we can overcome digital and financial exclusion. At BHT we are making available affordable Internet access for all out clients. Making it meaningful access is also a challenge, and overcoming financial exclusion is a major challenge. We are working closely with the City Council on its financial inclusion strategy, but my fear is that with reforms to welfare benefits and rising unemployment, the financial divide will grow.