Engaging People Joy Watson Wider Role Co-ordinator Julie Rain Savings and Loans Officer

Tayside Wider Role Alliance

 Wider Role Strategy – supports activity that can help our tenants that go beyond traditional housing – such as tenancy sustainment and tackling fuel poverty  Financial Inclusion and Anti Poverty Strategy – supports activities aimed at  increasing income  Reducing outgoings  Providing access to appropriate financial products and services

Tayside Wider Role Alliance projects  Savings and Loans Project  Pre-tenancy / Tenancy Sustainment Service  Making Money Work  DEEAP partnership  Financial Awareness Service  Toolbox Project  Money Advice Service  Moving Forward

Tayside Wider Role Alliance Pre-tenancy / tenancy sustainment  Open to all in Dundee  Successfully running for 4 years  Helping turn houses into homes  Benefits, Budgeting, Banking, Borrowing  Access to furniture  Low cost loans  Home contents insurance  Access to white goods  Social tariff

Tayside Wider Role Alliance  Worked with Dundee Energy Efficiency Advice Project for a number of years  Help and support to householders in Dundee on a range of energy issues  High demand for service  High number of referrals coming from TWRA projects (we are “switched on”)  Funds for tenants shrinking  How can we develop relationship and maintain best practice?

Tayside Wider Role Alliance  By accessing additional resources – ‘buying in’ the services of the local energy efficiency advice service to work with our Dundee tenants  Specifically targeting our new and vulnerable tenants

Tayside Wider Role Alliance  What are they doing for us? - Heating demo’s – understanding the controls, use in the most energy efficient way - Energy savings tips - Assess and register for social tariff - Fuel bill enquiries/renegotiate fuel debts - Lead FI project for White Goods Loans in partnership with local credit union - Loans had mixed results – led to campaigning for other ways to help with cost of energy efficient electrical appliances

 Results so far  413 tenants engaged since April 2010  221 registered for social tariff  £29,346 fuel debt renegotiated  12 properties insulated  86 free domestic appliances supplied by Scottish Hydro Electric Tayside Wider Role Alliance

 What this means for us  Contributing to the work being carried out to - end fuel poverty - reduce carbon emissions  What it means for the tenant  Lower fuel consumption = lower fuel bills = more money in their pocket!

Tayside Wider Role Alliance  Getting the balance right Good design/affordability/meeting the needs and wants of tenants  Can we achieve this?