The Community Impact of Allocation Policies www.tis.org.uk Understanding People – Unlocking Potential The Community Impact of Allocation Policies Alistair Reid Development Manager TIS Housing & Community Engagement Staff Residential 2017 Thursday 23 – Friday 24 March 2017 www.tis.org.uk

Community Impact of Allocations Policies What we will cover Legal Framework for Allocations Code of practice Existing policies Context Group activity What can landlords and communities do? What is social housing for?

Community Impact of Allocations Policies Legal framework Stems from Housing Scotland Act 2014 Consultation and publication Prioritising housing applicants Weighting reasonable preference groups Property ownership Factors not to be considered Also take into account provisions of housing charter

Community Impact of Allocations Policies Code of practice Some points to consider in relation to community impact from the Code of Practice No role for elected members or management boards except to set policy and monitor progress against aims Equalities Act 2010 – 9 protected characteristics Wide range of communities ..defined by geography .. Defined by common or shared interests

Community Impact of Allocations Policies Code of practice Landlords must understand the demand in their area and avoid rigid quotas Managing expectations of applicants, and maximising choice Making best use of stock Creating sustainable tenancies

Community Impact of Allocations Policies Existing policies ‘transparent.. fair .. promote social inclusion .. recognise individual circumstances’ ‘meet housing need fairly .. consistency .. respect diversity .. create communities where people want to live’ ‘Achieve balanced communities .. prioritise those in need .. respond to local needs’ ‘promote sustainable communities .. bringing choice .. balancing individual and community needs’

Community Impact of Allocations Policies Context Social landlords manage 584k homes Social landlords let around 52k homes a year (reducing year on year) 603k people applied for social housing Total of 1.3 million applicants on list as at March 16 35k homeless applications

Community Impact of Allocations Policies Group activity With colleagues at your table Please discuss and agree based on the information available who you would allocate the available properties too Please think about why you have decided to house these applicants Feedback

Community Impact of Allocations Policies Group activity – 2nd round Think about the applicants who you did not decide to offer a property too What housing options are available for them? What could be the impact on their local community of this person(s) having to move? What could be the impact on communities that the person(s) eventually move too? Feedback

Community Impact of Allocations Policies What can landlords and communities do? Who are your potential tenants? How can you engage with them about Allocations? How do you involve the wider community in discussions? How do we ensure tenants and potential tenants understand the pressures landlords face? New build targets are positive, but are they achievable, and how much difference will they make? How we ensure we consider the wider community impact of allocations?

Community Impact of Allocations Policies What is social housing for? And who? How do we make it an attractive housing option CIH poll in 2016 showed only 20% would consider social renting as an option More popular as a housing option for those renting privately Homeownership dropping – need and demand for social housing may increase Consider what happens to people who aren’t allocated a social house