SFHA Social Security and Financial Wellbeing Survey
Results for the April to June 2022 period have now been published.
The second set of results from SFHA’s Social Security and Financial Wellbeing Survey have now been published, covering the April to June 2022 period.
Based on responses from five SFHA members, covering 17,000 tenants, around two thirds of the tenants included in the sample were found to be reliant on either Universal Credit or other legacy benefits. Both the number of arrears cases and the value of these were notably higher in the former meaning that 62% of the total arrears value could be attributed to Universal Credit recipients compared to only 11% of those receiving other legacy benefits. Arrears cases were, however, apparent across all tenancies with the remaining 37% of the total arrears value attributed to those who are not in receipt of benefits.
From a landlord’s perspective, the key issues raised included poor communication with the DWP, including long call wait times, delays in processing applications and difficulties accessing information or receiving notifications around changes to payments. These reflect comments from our previous reports and could be addressed through additional communication channels, improved functionality of the Landlord Portal and greater permissions for landlords.
For tenants, concerns were raised about the cost of living crisis and the high demand for foodbank referrals and emergency fuel vouchers. Respondents highlighted that this was impacting a broader group of tenants, including those who are in employment, and that this was having a negative impact on mental wellbeing.
Further detail can be found in the full report.
SFHA will continue to raise these issues with the DWP and work in partnership to support anti-poverty campaigns in Scotland and across the UK.
The survey for the July to September 2022 period is now open and can be accessed here. We would be grateful if responses could be completed by Friday 25 November 2022.
Thank you again for your ongoing participation and contribution to the research to date. If you have any questions or comments on the survey, please contact Cassandra Dove, SFHA Research and Policy Lead, at cdove@sfha.co.uk