Social Housing Resilience Group weekly update: 2 July

The Social Housing Resilience Group (SHRG) was convened by SFHA in response to the coronavirus outbreak. As well as SFHA, the SHRG comprises Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland, Scottish Housing Regulator, Wheatley Group, Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations, Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, and Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers. It aims to deal with the significant challenges the outbreak is causing so that social landlords can continue to provide the support their tenants and communities need.

Updates on the SHRG's work are as follows:

• An updated Restarting Services Guide was published on 23 June to take account of new construction guidance, which applies to repairs and maintenance, and moving to Phase 2 of the national routemap. A letter to tenants from the Housing Minister is being finalised and will be published shortly. 
• SHRG members fed into cross sector Moving Home Guidance which states that, subject to following the guidance, moving home is possible as of 29 June. 
• SFHA updated the group on its data return which is now being analysed. The return form itself is also being changed and reduced in light of the SHR decision to make the data from their own return public. This will reduce the time it takes members to complete the SFHA quarterly return. The new version will be circulated around the end of July for the April–June period.
• Discussions with the DWP on further Universal Credit support for tenants are ongoing.
• The SHRG has collected evidence regarding the ability of landlords to meet deadlines with regards to fire safety, electrical testing, and EESSH; and fed into a communication which will be sent to social landlords from the Housing Minister, in the near future, to clarify the Scottish Government's position.
• The SHRG discussed a paper on care and support which will identify issues, lessons from coronavirus as well as the role of community housing, care and support models in the future. This work remains in progress.
• The Scottish Housing Regulator’s second monthly dashboard has been published. It shows increases in arrears and use of temporary accommodation. The new version with additional questions has been issued this week, with results expected mid-July.
• The variation in testing practices across the country was highlighted, and SFHA will contact PHS to discuss guidance and a consistent approach.
• Examples of good practice, challenges and solutions in regards to the housing sector's response to Covid-19 are being submitted and sought through Open Space.
• The SHRG agreed that it will feed into the government’s response to recommendations by the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery