Getting tenants involved in financial capability training

SANTANDER SOCIAL HOUSING RESEARCH PROJECT (2011-12)Lead partner: Citizens AdviceResearch partner: University of Bristol Personal Finance Research CentreDelivery partners: Bedworth, Rugby and Nuneaton CAB / Orbit Heart of EnglandExpert partners: Chartered Institute of Housing, West and Wales Housing Association, Money Advice ServiceFunded by: Santander plc

Why financial capability?

“Sustainable tenancies…”

“Reduce arrears….”

“Build stronger communities….”

“Tackle financial exclusion…”

“Reduce demand on over stretched advice services...”

“Improve health and well being...”

IMPROVE THE BOTTOM LINE…

Making ends meet

Keeping track

Choosing products

Planning ahead

Staying informed

Project Delivery

INTERVENTION GROUP

• Orbit Heart of England tenants

• Short financial capability sessions (2 x 45 mins)

• In groups or one to one

COMPARISON GROUP

• Orbit Heart of England tenants

• Similar demographic and socio economic profile

• No intervention

Tenant engagement

Project model

• Dispersed housing stock• Greater isolation• Limited groups• Only one contact centre• Less cohesive neighbourhood• Build worker involvement• One to one outreach• Cold calling / door knocking

Preferred delivery model• To existing groups• In trusted settings• People know each other• People feel more comfortable• Learning beyond session• Local sense of community

Level 1: Awareness raisingWhat worked • Briefing for some Orbit staff (tenancy support and Community Housing Officers)• Briefing for Children’s Centres and CAB advisers where workers already advocates for financial

education• Offer of £10 shopping voucher for completing research helped to secure tenant interest

What worked less well• Briefing for other Orbit staff (on reception, facilities team)• Information re training given in “on hold” message for inwards calls to Orbit (although started late

in project)• Leaflets at reception in contact centre / local CAB• Briefings / leaflets in tenant newsletters / letters to tenants / radio / media promotion• Awareness raising with local voluntary and community agencies, including faith groups

Key messages• Comprehensive staff / frontline worker engagement strategy needs to precede training delivery –

cannot assume prior knowledge and very helpful if they personally witness benefits of training, e.g. by attending sample session

• Commitment to the project must cascade down from executive / strategic level to ensure appropriate resources are allocated

• Be mindful of resources / priorities of local community contacts, e.g. Children’s Centres less engaged than expected because of cut backs in their service

Level 2: Direct MarketingWhat worked• Tenancy support workers and Community Housing Officers seeking opportunities to raise with tenants

on routine visits (once basic awareness training completed). Leaflets useful to support this• Door knocking on estates in target areas by CAB trainer with professional marketing support• Cold telephone calling of tenants by Orbit staff (using agreed script) – 50% of those contacted were

interested• Introducing as part of new tenant sign up• Delivery of group sessions in trusted settings (Children’s Centres)• Linking with existing events, e.g. Christmas party• Taster/ briefing sessions where residential clusters exist, e.g. blocks of flats

What worked less well• Leaflets sent to tenant households• Information sent out by Money Advice team at Orbit for tenants already experiencing difficulties• Drop in sessions in CAB• Mixed messages about importance of £10 shopping voucher in incentivising attendance

Key Messages• Financial capability needs a one to one sell (phone or in person) when not delivering to established

groups in trusted settings. Need to talk through and help individual see direct relevance to them • Maximise opportunities to deliver where there are clusters of residents – creates opportunities for word

of mouth referrals

Level 3: One to one follow upWhat worked• Visit to tenant within 2-3 days of ‘warm’ lead being handed on from Orbit telephone cold calling• Utilising marketing professional expertise in door knocking alongside Orbit / CAB workers• Trusted brand of CAB for delivery – comfortable inviting into home• Completing a ‘booking’ process with the tenant which they sign to confirm their planned attendance• Spending as much time going through the details of how to access the training as spent on ‘selling’ the

training when meeting one to one• Offering one to one sessions at flexible times, including offering on the spot when door knocking• Offering one to one sessions in the home when requested• Encouraging word of mouth referrals, e.g. £10 voucher for ‘recommend a friend’ referrals, particularly

helps where these are respected ‘peers’• Entry in £500 prize draw for all participants completing follow up questionnaire

What worked less well• All of the one to one work was effective

Key messages• Overall two thirds of delivery to tenants on a 1:1basis. Although successful a very resource intensive

and costly model which would be very difficult to replicate on a larger scale• Model used in this project due to short delivery window

Securing tenant participation – what would we do next time…?

Stage 1

Get buy in

Repeated cascade of project messages internally and externally

Integrate with strategic priorities / action planning

Workers attend sample sessions “seeing is believing”

Bring together workers from all partners for joint briefings and delivery planning

Design leaflets and tenant engagement messages with professional support

Level 2 Targeted marketing

Regular short sessions of cold calling by Housing Association staff using scripts – set realistic targets for conversion - complete in teams

Build into regular routine visits for all tenant facing staff

Piggy back existing events / meetings / social gatherings – anywhere tenants will meet in trusted settings

Level 3 One to one

Follow up warm leads in person within 2-3 days of receiving – try and achieve maximum two weeks from first contact through to delivery completing

Identify anxieties / barriers and address individually – the “how do I get involved” as important as “why should I get involved”

Get professional support / training to develop door step/ phone skills

Deliver training flexibly – in home / out of working hours

Maximise word of mouth referrals using incentives

Stage 4

Review

Refresh internal messages – using participant case studies / quotes

Celebrate the achievements collectively – participants and partners

Refresh targets – keep realistic and deliverable in short timescales

Involve experienced workers in training new ones

Cultivate tenant advocates for training

Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4

And the results?

INTERVENTION GROUP• 78% changed approach to

money management• 69% taking action had reduced

spending• 71% more financial confidence• 57% more in control of

finances• 47% more confident about

choosing financial products(SAMPLE SIZE: 113)

COMPARISON GROUP• 36% changed approach to

money management• 28% taken action to reduce

spending• 13% more financial confidence• 11% more in control of

finances• 13% more confident about

choosing financial products(SAMPLE SIZE 129)

For the full research findings go to

www.financialskillsforlife.org.uk