- Most commonly, residents say they would direct someone wanting to access social housing to an appropriate organisation, such as by contacting the Council or visiting the webpage, looking into housing associations, or suggesting they seek support from an advice centre or charity
- For accessing social housing, residents also give advice about how to approach the situation, suggest researching it on the internet, or seeking support from personal networks or local representatives
- Some residents would, however, advise against accessing social housing or that it is pointless, critiquing the current allocation of social housing or warning that “it’ll be a long wait”
- For practical advice, some suggest looking into other arrangements or making lifestyle changes to avoid the need to access social housing
Advice for accessing social housing
Summary
If someone you knew wanted to access social housing, what advice would you give them?
Weighted base: W7: 1,464
| wdt_ID | Responses (showing key themes) | % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contact the Council | 44 |
| 3 | Not to bother/ 'good luck'/ critique of social housing allocation | 11 |
| 12 | Visit Portsmouth City Council’s website | 9 |
| 13 | Do internet research | 5 |
| 14 | “It'll be a long wait” | 4 |
| 15 | Go to Citizen’s Advice Bureau/ advice centres | 4 |
| 16 | General advice on how to approach e.g. manner, try and speak to someone in person, what information to present, keep pushing, do your own research on it | 2 |
| 17 | Look into other arrangements e.g. rent privately, apply for benefits or universal credit to help financially | 2 |
| 18 | Make other lifestyle changes e.g. find a way to earn more money/ “get a job”, spend less/ maximise income | 2 |
| 19 | Look into housing associations | 1 |
| 20 | Go to charities for support | 1 |
| 21 | Go to personal support networks | 0.4 |
| 22 | Go to local representatives e.g. MPs, councillors | 0.3 |
| 23 | Other | 3 |
| 24 | Don't know/ no advice/ no comment | 26 |
