Clarion publishes its first Resident of the Future report
- A new report by Clarion Housing Group paints a concerning picture of the challenges facing the future social housing resident.
- The report offers predictions based upon over 10 years of trend data collected from thousands of residents through the annual customer insight survey the Clarion Index, as well as data from the UK Housing Review, ONS, and English Housing Survey.
- The projected picture of the future Clarion resident is one that is older, lonelier, in worse health, and financially poorer.
- Residents will be in greater need of support as social housing becomes increasingly the preserve of only the most vulnerable in our society.
- These findings will inform the way Clarion shapes its services in the years to come to meet the changing needs and expectations of the residents it serves.
Clarion Housing Group has published its first Resident of the Future report, using demographic shifts in its residents over time to project who they might be in the near future, as well as the growing challenges they are likely to face.
The research has been carried out following the recommendation from the Housing Ombudsman for social landlords to conduct a forecast to identify any gaps in services for residents into the future.
From these findings, Clarion will adjust and fine-tune its services in the years to come to meet the changing needs and expectations of the residents it serves.
The Resident of the Future report considers external social, economic and housing market trends, drawing on research from several sources including the UK Housing Review, ONS, and English Housing Survey, as well as Clarion’s annual customer insight survey The Clarion Index.
The report uses this information to look forwards, first at wider societal changes and economics, then at the sector and what Clarion knows about its residents. It closes with some potential scenario exercises that pull each of these strands together.
Various national trends are identified, including an ageing population, unpredictable immigration, increasing ethnic diversity, more households, and increasing affordability challenges in the housing market. These trends start to provide insight into the future landscape in which Clarion residents will live.
In summary, the picture of the future resident is one that is older, lonelier, in worse health, and financially poorer.
Key statistics
- Clarion residents reporting a disability have risen from 26% in 2020 to 42% in 2023.
- 7.1% of people in the UK report they are chronically lonely, up from 6% in 2020. However, within Clarion residents these figures are significantly higher with chronic loneliness increasing from 10% in 2019 to 16% in 2023.
- Foodbank use among Clarion residents has doubled to 14% in 2023 since 2018, and residents reporting going without food has increased from 13% to 20% over the same period.
These are all issues Clarion is already looking to tackle through its charitable foundation, Clarion Futures, which provides a variety of services to residents beyond that of a landlord, including help with money and finances, jobs and training, digital skills, and mental health.
But the scale of this challenge is not something Clarion can face alone, and the rise in vulnerabilities projected amongst residents must also be met with a major refunding and rebuilding of wrap-around support from statutory services by government as well as further significant investment in housebuilding to ease the housing crisis.
For now, this research will continue to be built upon, with the next phase including workshops with directors, testing scenarios in different business areas and drawing up an action plan to implement learnings which will also be fed into a new customer strategy in 2025.
Clarion would welcome any opportunities to join expertise and pool findings with other housing associations.
Clarion Housing Group chief executive, Clare Miller, said:
“While we cannot predict the future, we have a responsibility to our residents to look ahead and to plan with the knowledge we do have. The projections in this report are the first step in our forecasting which will help us shape our services to meet the evolving needs of our residents and the challenges they face.
“We already offer a number of support services and have shown these to have real impact on our residents’ lives. But if we are to meet the challenges ahead, it must be in tandem with a government prepared to be bold and provide serious investment into both social housing and our public services.
“Every indication so far suggests this government has the will, and I look forward to next year’s Spending Review. Meanwhile, we will continue to do everything we can to support our residents into the future and ensure we are doing our best by those who need us.”