The latest Resident Voice Index™ report, Cost of Living: Crunch Time is now out, with results gathered from the responses of over 5,700 social housing residents between August and October this year. Comparing these results to those in the ‘Surviving but not living’ report from Spring shows that the financial situation has become harder for …

The Resident Voice Index™ Cost of Living: Crunch Time survey has closed and results show that some social housing residents are feeling worried about how debts might affect their credit score. “I am currently staying afloat but I don’t know how much longer I will be able to. The stress is I have worked hard …

It’s estimated by the UK Government that 19 million people volunteer at least once a month! In neighbourhoods up and down the UK, these volunteers are ensuring people get the support they need. From lifeguards to food banks, vaccination centres to shelters, us Brits tend to look after each other – but this can differ from neighbourhood …

In all our conversations with residents throughout the Resident Voice Index™ project so far, one of the key wishes that has been shared with us has been for those involved in social housing to improve how they communicate. Poor communication and poor customer service can leave residents feeling unheard and frustrated. We spoke to one …

The Community Support & Life After Lockdown survey was launched in November 2021. It asked questions that aimed to gain an understand of the experiences of social housing residents during the Covid-19 lockdowns and what they believed could change for the better. Over 4,100 social housing residents in the UK took part. Here we break …

Some social housing landlords around the UK actively involve residents when they are hiring new people. This kind of co-working and resident inclusion brings the views and needs of residents to the centre of how social housing is delivered. Val and Jim are two of our established Resident Ambassadors for the Resident Voice Index™ project. For many years …

One of the most important steps we take when designing the Resident Voice Index™ surveys is talking to social housing residents about the topics we should explore. These sessions help us know if we are on the right track with the themes we choose. In August and October, we got to speak to residents about …

The impact the pandemic has had on us all has been enormous and before the memories fade about the last year and a half, we believe it’s important to ask the Resident Voice Index™ community about their experiences in the Community Support & Life After Lockdown survey. The survey will, over the next few weeks, aim …

In our very first Resident Voice podcast, we hear from our resident ambassadors Val and Jim, who share their perspectives on the first report findings.

The last Resident Ambassador we are going to be introducing for the Resident Voice Index Neighbourhoods & Communities theme is Jackie. When we talked with her, she spoke not only about the relationship residents have with their provider but the relationship the provider can create with residents – and she had some good ideas of what …

This week we meet Jim, our third Resident Ambassador for the Resident Voice Index project. Living in the North East of England, he’s a no-nonsense stalwart of local activism and contribution. From being on tenant advisory panels, becoming a town councillor, contributing to national think tanks on social housing, to helping us with the Resident Voice Index …

Our second Resident Ambassador, Val lives in the North East of England and has been working alongside her housing association and for national resident boards for years. She came forward as a Resident Ambassador for the Resident Voice Index™ project and describes how resident engagement takes dedication and partnership working. The relationship that Val has with her …

The Resident Voice Index™ project has involved social housing residents from the start. In the workshops we held during March and April, some of the participants volunteered to help us spread the word about the project and speak about why being involved in their neighbourhood is important to them. These are our Resident Ambassadors. Community projects, …

As part of the Resident Voice Index™ project we spoke to social housing residents up and down the UK about what matters to them. We used this feedback to build the Neighbourhoods & Communities survey. This survey was the first step of a long-running project, which aims to get to know what social housing residents in the UK …

At the moment, changes in policy are looking to centre the views of social housing residents in the UK. These changes will aim to make sure that the services that people experience are better and that housing associations and local authorities are doing their job in line with the expectations of residents. One of topics …