How Housing Providers Can Help their Residents with Mental Wellness
January is Mental Wellness Month and, as such, provides a great opportunity to explore the importance of mental wellness in the community.
Mental health is discussed more today than in previous years, with companies and organisations paying attention to this important aspect of everyday life for their employees, students and users.
And rightfully so, as, ‘A 2014 survey of mental health and wellbeing in England found that 1 in 6 people over the age of 16 had experienced symptoms of a mental health problem, such as depression or anxiety, in the previous week,’ reports the Journal of Public Health.
What we hear about less often, however, is the important role housing providers can play in aiding the mental wellness of their communities. The positions of social or private landlords can often be overlooked in discussions about mental wellness, when in fact, housing providers can play a significant role in the mental wellbeing of their residents.
In this blog, we will discuss why mental wellness is so important within the community as well as tools and methods landlords can use to support mental wellbeing and help tenants combat loneliness.
First, let’s explore the top five benefits for landlords who help their residents with mental wellness.
1. Enhanced Tenant Stability
Supporting mental wellness can lead to more stable housing situations. Not only does this benefit the tenant, who, with access to mental health resources will be less likely to face crises that lead to evictions or relocations, it also applies to the landlord. This topic was the subject of a recent report by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, which explores the relationship between mental health problems and rent arrears. Nikki Bond, Research Assistant, reveals that, ‘Our new research finds that people with mental health problems are one and a half times as likely to report problems paying for housing.’ So, while the positives of supporting mental wellness can result in the tenant having a stable home for a longer period, it also serves the landlord well to maintain the income from their rental fees and to feel secure in their tenant’s reliability.
2. Reduced Maintenance and Turnover Costs
The condition of our living spaces, and the way we keep our homes, can be both a symptom and a cause of our mental health. As the mental health support centre, The Centre – A Place of Hope, informs us, ‘The relationship between a messy house and mental health goes both ways.’ They explain that, ‘Mental illnesses like depression and hoarding disorder can cause a messy house, but living among clutter can also contribute to worse mental health.’ The effects can be damaging to the tenant as well as the home, as The Centre – A Place of Hope, also reveals that, ‘A 2020 study found that both adults and kids who lived in disorganised households were more likely to experience cognitive and behavioural problems. A cluttered home also contributed to higher family conflict.’ By supporting tenants, housing providers may see fewer damages caused by neglect or distress, which would reduce the costs associated with frequent repairs and maintenance issues.
3. Improved Community Relationships
As an article in Forbes recently pointed out, ‘Community is critical to our overall wellbeing and the decline of our connectedness is coming at the same time mental health issues are on the rise.’ Providing mental health support therefore has a two-pronged effect. It fosters a sense of community through trust between landlord and tenants, as tenants who feel valued and supported will form stronger, more cooperative relationships with their housing providers. When this support is widespread and inclusive, it brings tenants together to form a community. And this sense of community, once created, leads to a better sense of mental wellness among residents, which might result in less instances of loneliness and isolation as they are surrounded by a support network. The benefits of creating a sense of community on developments are numerous, and include lower rates of tenant turnover, higher tenant satisfaction rates and better scores on the Tenant Satisfaction Measures.
4. Increased Safety and Wellbeing
Mental health initiatives can help create a safer living environment for tenants. As Gravesend Churches Housing Association Limited explains, ‘A home that supports mental health can act as a safe space that reduces stress, anxiety, and depression while also enhancing overall mood and well-being.’ With proper support, therefore, tenants may experience reduced stress, anxiety, and conflict. This contributes to a more harmonious community environment, as well as a sense of security at home and on the development. Tenants who feel safe and secure in their home are likely to maintain long tenancies and higher rates of tenant satisfaction.
5. Positive Reputation and Social Impact
Housing providers that prioritise mental wellness are often seen as socially responsible and compassionate, which enhances their reputation both in the community and in the industry. This can attract more tenants to their homes, and lead to partnerships with organisations who are also focused on community wellbeing, which can lead to financial benefits to the landlord or organisation.
By integrating mental health support, housing providers not only improve the lives of their tenants but also benefit operationally and reputationally. But how can they achieve this level of support?
Our residential engagement and property management app, Spaciable Living, was designed to enhance the living spaces for its users. Our recent conversation with Simon Thomas at J49 explored the ways in which J49 are using the app to enhance community building, improve the tenant experience and support their tenants into an environment of ‘creative community living.’
Here, we will take five key features of the app that can be used to support residents and increase mental wellness.
1. Chat
Creating connected communities is at the heart of Spaciable Living, and with the Chat feature, residents can easily communicate with their neighbours or the site team, in a similar style to WhatsApp. They can also create common interest groups, such as dog walking clubs and charity fundraisers, as well as mindfulness workshops or support groups. A profanity filter can be activated in the Chat, as well as the ability to block users and an opt-in feature to ensure a safe and secure virtual environment.
By helping residents engage with one another through the app, a supportive atmosphere is created on-site – one that residents want to be a part of and share with friends. This sense of community among residents can also benefit the landlord through an increase in renewals, referrals and survey scores.
The Chat feature also enables communication between landlord and tenant. As landlord insurance provider CIA Landlords advises, ‘Ensuring there is good communication between landlords and tenants is vital to the success of the landlord-tenant relationship.’ So, by offering a quick and easy means of communication, landlords can alleviate some of the trust issues revolved around tenants who feel communication is a strong issue in their relationship with their landlord.
2. Surveys
The introduction of the Tenant Satisfaction Measure brought a level of trepidation to many landlords, however, with Spaciable Living’s Survey feature, no feedback need come as a shock.
Using this feature, admins can distribute surveys to keep track of tenant satisfaction measures, gauge any common concerns or complaints and gain valuable data to help make key decisions and understand areas where investment is necessary.
This valuable tool allows both private and social landlords to record data and understand what support might be required either for individuals or groups of residents, for example, to combat loneliness or reduce levels of stress and anxiety.
Any workshops or support measures carried out can be surveyed afterwards to gauge their success and any required alterations. This way, housing providers can understand whether the support they’re offering is worthwhile, and, if not, what residents might prefer instead.
3. Reported Issues
CIA Landlords reveals that, ‘The most common renter complaint includes anything to do with maintenance and repairs. In fact, 79% of private renters complained mostly about repairs.’ The effect on the mental health of tenants who are left in homes in a state of disrepair is significant. The National Claims Helpline argues that, ‘Living in a house that is in a state of disrepair can lead to feelings of hopelessness, frustration, and anger,’ and explains that, ‘This stress can lead to anxiety and depression.’
Landlords can significantly reduce feelings of anxiety and distress brought about by maintenance issues within the home, using Spaciable Living’s Reported Issues feature. Here, they can streamline issue reporting, automate responses using an AI-powered ChatBot and keep an audit trail of outstanding issues through the Issues feature.
This tool allows residents to report issues, such as failing heating systems or rising damp, along with supporting images. This opens up a conversation with a ChatBot to offer troubleshooting suggestions. If an issue cannot be resolved via the ChatBot, an admin can join the conversation to arrange a call-out, which minimises costs associated with repairs whilst also helping to comply with aftercare legislation. Most importantly, this ensures tenants know their repair issues are being swiftly and effective dealt with.
4. Visitor Access
CIA Landlords highlights that, ‘Another common, and understandable, tenant complaint is around safety and security,’ adding that, ‘It is your responsibility as a landlord to ensure that your property is secure enough to house tenants in, especially in busy urban areas.’
The comprehensive family security marketplace, Batten, describes the effects of feeling insecure in our homes:
It is important for a landlord to reduce the chances of tenants feeling unsecure at home. Spaciable Living’s Visitor Access feature has been designed to reinforce on-site security and give all residents peace of mind.
Using this feature, residents can enter the details of expected visitors when they are expecting to be away from their home, for example, tradespeople or grocery deliveries. A key can then be left at reception for the visitor to collect within the set time period. A QR code will be generated and emailed to the visitor, who will need to show it upon collection, in order for the key to be released. This removes any probability of unwanted visitors accessing the building, to help increase safety for residents.
Residents using this feature will also be updated when the key is returned, giving them peace of mind about the security of their home.
5. Neighbourhood Updates
Once landlords have gauged the best methods and means of supporting tenants in their mental wellness, it is important to ensure that the services are available and inclusive to all residents. Spaciable Living’s Neighbourhood Updates feature allows residents and admins to share content that may be of interest to others.
Sometimes this could be a perfectly captured photo of the sun setting behind the building, items for sale in the marketplace to encourage the reuse of unwanted items, or planned works or events on site. However, for the support of resident mental wellness, this is a fantastic tool to announce any community events being hosted on the development, any support that is being offered, or to point to any mental health charities or support groups in the local area.
As well as sending updates through the app, we can also offer Digital Signage, which can be used to display any key information about events or support on the development, as well as QR code stickers, which residents can scan, taking them to the app and the appropriate information.
With a wealth of tools at the tap of a button, Spaciable Living allows landlords to increase their support for tenants, encourage mental wellness and form a strong sense of community at their developments. To find out more about Spaciable Living, get in touch here.
