Marvin OnumonuResearch from Learning and Work Institute (L&W), Communities that Work (CtW) and the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) found social housing tenants are almost twice as likely to be out of work as those in other types of housing.
They are also more likely to be disabled, to be lone parents or to have no qualifications.
Those in work are twice as likely to be in lower-skilled jobs and are paid on average a third less than people in other tenures.
This led L&W to launch the ‘JobsPlus’ pilot, a jobs support scheme for social housing tenants in England, with 150 moving into work so far.
The JobsPlus pilot is run by L&W with housing associations at 10 sites across the country.
JobsPlus offers employment support and other services in local community hubs, all shaped by the residents themselves.
The programme is open to all working-age tenants, with no extra eligibility rules.
Participants also get a financial incentive for finding and staying in work.
Local volunteers help promote the scheme.
JobsPlus started a year ago with a £3.2m grant from HM Treasury via the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Youth Futures Foundation has added a further £1.9m, focusing on support for 16 to 24-year-olds.
Minister for Employment Alison McGovern confirmed Government backing for a second year in July 2025.
The pilot is expected to run until March 2026.
Stephen Evans, CEO at L&W, said: “We welcome this exciting first milestone of 700 people engaged in the pilots, and 150 people finding jobs.
“JobsPlus is an evidence-based model, which can help social housing tenants find work and increase their earnings in the US.
“We’re hoping to close the employment support gap so that all residents in a JobsPlus site benefit from the programme.”
Evans added: “L&W has previously called for root and branch reform to widen employment support to everyone who wants to work, paving the way to the Government’s ambition of an 80% employment rate.
“It’s exciting to be working with DWP, Youth Futures and partners to trial a new approach that could have huge benefits to communities and to our wider economy.”
Barry Fletcher, CEO at Youth Futures Foundation, said: “With around one million young people missing out on earning or learning, we must find solutions to the UK’s alarming youth unemployment and inactivity challenge.
“Social housing tenants are among those experiencing significant disadvantages in the labour market; the most recent Census revealed that, of the one in five young people living in social housing, nearly half were economically inactive.
“Behind these statistics are huge consequences for individuals – and untapped potential that we can’t afford to waste.”
Fletcher added: “JobsPlus is an intervention which has performed strongly in the US, and Youth Futures is pleased to be working with some brilliant partners to test whether these results can be replicated here for those aged 16 to 24.
“If successful, this pilot and subsequent evaluation work could give us vital evidence about what works to remove barriers and improve employment outcomes for marginalised young people.”
Lynsey Sweeney, managing director at CtW, said: “JobsPlus is demonstrating what happens when employment support is delivered through the fabric of the communities it serves.
“As trusted anchor institutions, housing associations bring established relationships, local knowledge and a strong track record in supporting residents toward sustainable work.
“Their involvement in JobsPlus means that the employment support is personalised, embedded within communities and reinforced by wider wraparound services on which residents rely.”
Sweeney added: “The early results of JobsPlus show that place-based and community-led models, with social housing at its core, can break down barriers to good work and support people into long-term employment.”
Naomi Clayton, CEO at IES, said: “JobsPlus is an innovative model of community-led employment support, underpinned by robust evidence from the United States demonstrating its potential to improve long-term labour market outcomes for residents.
“Institute for Employment Studies is proud to be leading the evaluation of the pilot programme in England, working alongside partners to understand how the model can be adapted to the UK context.
“By generating robust evidence on what works, we aim to inform future policy and practice that supports more people into meaningful work, enhances local economic resilience, and helps communities to thrive over the long term.”
James Riccio, principal research fellow at MDRC, said: “Versions of JobsPlus have been operated in over 60 low-income public housing developments across America, which has made a longstanding investment in the programme.
“The JobsPlus pilot offers an exciting opportunity to learn how to adapt this special place-based intervention to social housing neighbourhoods in the UK.
“Sharing lessons across the Atlantic can help both nations continue to strengthen the approach and improve its effectiveness in transforming social housing communities to help residents enter, sustain, and advance in work and improve their well-being.”
