Hills’ recommendations exemplified by Notting Hill Housing » Housing » 24dash.com

To demonstrate the importance and success of the wider role of social landlords, Communities and Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly and housing expert John Hills chose to launch the outcomes of the John Hills' review of social housing at a Notting Hill Housing 'Employment Awareness Day' at the regenerated Dalgarno Estate in North Kensington.

The project was chosen by Kelly and Hills to highlight the conclusions made by the report that social landlords can deliver real personal and social benefits by helping the people they already house in to employment. 

"Improving livelihoods" should be one of the key aims of social housing according to Hills.

Kelly said "Notting Hill is delivering real improvements both for tenants and the wider community. From employment initiatives helping people to find work to Social HomeBuy which is giving tenants the first step on the housing ladder, Notting Hill is providing innovative solutions to some of the big challenges that exist within social housing.

"I have been very impressed by the work going on at the Dalgarno estate and will examine the programmes in more detail as part of the debate i want to have around the future of social housing."

Commenting on the impact of the Hills report, Notting Hill's Chief Executive, Kate Davies, said "Notting Hill offers a menu of options to its existing tenants to help them meet their housing aspirations - individual advice about buying a property, a savings scheme, opportunities to aquire a share of their existing home and small, inexpensive flats for first time buyers.

"These opportunities have proved popular with customers and have been applauded by John Hills and Ruth Kelly. We salute John Hills for his report which is rigorous, challenging and important. Today is a turning point in the history of social housing."

Notting Hill's award-winning Employment Initiatives training programme is the most successful into work programme run by a social landlord. 

In 2006, More than 900 people benefited from the programme.

Notting Hill takes this approach because it believes that helping its residents get employment ultimately gives them greater choice and control over their futures and that of their children and enables social mobility, including progression towards home ownership.

John Bryson, Employment Initiatives Manager at Notting Hill, said: "The financial benefits of employment are clear, but it is important to recognise the wider personal benefits of getting into work.  For many people it is the friends they make and the confidence they build at work that changes their life."