Member of staff offering advice to a customer.

New SNG report offers key lessons on hardship support schemes

• 7 min read

We’ve launched a new report which intends to provide key learning points for social housing providers. Providing hardship support: lessons for the social housing sector [pdf, 589KB]  Opens in new window, was officially unveiled at the HACT Community Investment Conference on Wednesday 12 November.

As a result of cost-of-living pressures, levels of financial vulnerability and rent arrears among social housing tenants have increased significantly. In response, this has resulted in many providers like SNG implementing, or extending existing, hardship support schemes targeted at those who are struggling financially.

Despite this increasing use of hardship funds there has been little documented evaluation or best practice research. This report intends fills the gap and forms part of an independent evaluation of SNG’s own Customer Support Fund along with providing core insights for other providers.

‘Providing Hardship Support - Lessons for the Social Housing Sector’ found that due to our role, housing associations are well placed to deliver hardship support to vulnerable tenants. SNG’s Community Support Fund includes a range of financial inclusion interventions and wider customer support, including grants for individuals in financial hardship, debt advice, in-work coaching, energy saving advice from a specialist provider, customer grants for items such as white goods and households items and a helping hand fund for those affected by a change in circumstances.

The report recommends that we sustain and scale up our Community Support Fund. As demand grows, it could become a key part of helping customers stay secure, included, and resilient over the long term.

Erica Watts, SNG’s Head of Employment, Skills and Inclusion, commented: “We’re delighted to launch report which isn’t intended to be prescriptive but offer social housing providers ideas, experience and practical tips that may enable them to make the best use of available resources to support the financial wellbeing, housing stability and health of their most vulnerable tenants. We’d like to thank Financial Inclusion Centre for producing the report and Fusion21 Foundation for providing funding.”

You can read the full report by clicking on the following link.

Providing hardship support: lessons for the social housing sector [pdf, 589KB]  Opens in new window,

SNG Community Support Fund 2024/25 – Key statistics

Financial impact:

  • 66% of recipients reported improved financial wellbeing.
  • 84% improved their ability to manage household essentials (food, fuel, etc.).
  • The proportion of recipients with rent arrears fell by 47.4% over 12 months.
  • Average rent arrears dropped from £386.78 to £184.81—a 52.2% reduction.

Health and wellbeing:

  • 53% experienced better mental health and reduced emotional stress.
  • 63% saw reductions in anxiety or depression.
  • 80% reported improvements in general wellbeing.
  • 70% were better able to keep warm in winter, often linked to improved physical health.