This document summarizes a research project that tested delivering financial capability training to social housing tenants. It describes the project partners and funding, and explains why financial capability training can help tenants, housing associations, and communities. It then outlines the project delivery model, comparing an intervention group that received financial training to a comparison group. The results showed significantly greater improvements in financial behaviors and confidence for the intervention group compared to the comparison group. The document concludes by reflecting on lessons learned for securing tenant participation and engagement in financial capability training.

1. Getting tenants involved in financial
capability training
SANTANDER SOCIAL HOUSING RESEARCH PROJECT (2011-12)
Lead partner: Citizens Advice
Research partner: University of Bristol Personal Finance Research Centre
Delivery partners: Bedworth, Rugby and Nuneaton CAB / Orbit Heart of England
Expert partners: Chartered Institute of Housing, West and Wales Housing Association, Money
Advice Service
Funded by: Santander plc

2. Why financial capability?
“Sustainable tenancies…”
Making ends meet
“Reduce arrears….”
Keeping track “Build stronger communities….”
“Tackle financial exclusion…”
Choosing products
“Reduce demand on over stretched advice services...”
Planning ahead “Improve health and well being...”
Staying informed IMPROVE THE BOTTOM LINE…

3. Project Delivery
INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARISON GROUP
• Orbit Heart of England tenants • Orbit Heart of England tenants
• Short financial capability sessions (2 x • Similar demographic and socio
45 mins) economic profile
• In groups or one to one • No intervention

4. Tenant engagement
Project model
Preferred delivery model • Dispersed housing stock
• To existing groups • Greater isolation
• In trusted settings
• Limited groups
• People know each other
• People feel more comfortable • Only one contact centre
• Learning beyond session • Less cohesive neighbourhood
• Local sense of community • Build worker involvement
• One to one outreach
• Cold calling / door knocking

5. Level 1: Awareness raising
What 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

6. Level 2: Direct Marketing
What 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

7. Level 3: One to one follow up
What 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

8. Securing tenant participation –
what would we do next time…?
Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4
Stage 1 Level 2 Targeted marketing Stage 4
Get buy in Regular short sessions of cold calling by Housing Review
Association staff using scripts – set realistic targets for
conversion - complete in teams
Repeated cascade of Refresh internal messages –
project messages Build into regular routine visits for all tenant facing staff
using participant case
internally and Piggy back existing events / meetings / social studies / quotes
externally gatherings – anywhere tenants will meet in trusted
Celebrate the achievements
Integrate with settings
collectively – participants
strategic priorities / and partners
action planning
Level 3 One to one Refresh targets – keep
Workers attend realistic and deliverable in
sample sessions Follow up warm leads in person within 2-3 days of short timescales
“seeing is believing” receiving – try and achieve maximum two weeks from
first contact through to delivery completing Involve experienced workers
Bring together in training new ones
workers from all Identify anxieties / barriers and address individually –
partners for joint the “how do I get involved” as important as “why should Cultivate tenant advocates
briefings and delivery I get involved” for training
planning
Get professional support / training to develop door step/
Design leaflets and phone skills
tenant engagement
Deliver training flexibly – in home / out of working hours
messages with
professional support Maximise word of mouth referrals using incentives

9. And the results?
INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARISON GROUP
• 78% changed approach to • 36% changed approach to
money management money management
• 69% taking action had reduced • 28% taken action to reduce
spending spending
• 71% more financial confidence • 13% more financial confidence
• 57% more in control of • 11% more in control of
finances finances
• 47% more confident about • 13% more confident about
choosing financial products choosing financial products
(SAMPLE SIZE: 113) (SAMPLE SIZE 129)
For the full research findings go to
www.financialskillsforlife.org.uk