Supporting tenants on their own terms: learning from the Link Housing pilot

Link Housing recently took part in a financial inclusion pilot with Lightning Reach, supported by SFHA and TECH to tackle a growing challenge: tenants who needed help but didn’t feel comfortable asking for it.

Demand for support had risen by 40% during the cost of living crisis, and some of the most at-risk tenants – particularly single men – were actively avoiding engagement. As Rhona Penman, Advice Service Coordinator at Link Housing, explained, many people recognised they needed support but wanted to deal with it privately and in their own time.

By partnering with Lightning Reach, Link gave tenants a simple, trusted way to search for financial support independently. Using targeted SMS messages, they focused first on single men and pensioners, highlighting how easy and discreet the platform was to use.

The response was quick and encouraging. Within two hours, 10% of single men contacted had signed up, and within days 20% of pensioners had created profiles showing that even groups often seen as hard to reach will engage when the approach is right.

Overall, the pilot delivered strong results:

• 959 tenants accessed the platform, with 78% completing their profiles
• 74% actively engaged with applications and benefit checks
• £36,000 in financial support and £49,700 in benefits were identified
• 94% of tenants used the platform without staff support, freeing up teams to focus on more complex cases

The success of the pilot has already had wider impact. Link Housing and Lightning Reach won the DigiFest 2024 Service Development Award, and Link is now expanding the approach to other under-engaged groups, while sharing learning across the housing sector.

You can read the full report or executive summary in the downloads to the left hand side of this article.