“Services such as HECS offer the opportunity to broaden the housing options offer and by replicating the best, rather than reinventing the wheel, social landlords can transform their response. ”
Helen Cope: Author, tackling Worklessness: A toolkit CIH/CLG/TSA 2008

Our new service “Housing Empoyment Connections” (HECS) is now live. It is the first enhanced housing options service that links homeseekers using choice based lettings (CBL) schemes, directly to employment services and information advice and guidance (IAG). If you are serious about tackling worklessness or upskilling homeseekers then we have the answer. We are saving our customers months of detailed work devising internal strategies for tackling worklessness.

The HECS service is a standalone software channel that links employment services (jobs and training) directly to social housing tenants, homeless applicants and homeseekers. The HECS service can be plugged into your housing website or Choice Based Lettings system (CBL). Until now, a homeseeker’s needs in seeking employment have rarely been given an opportunity in local authority housing allocations. Alongside this, some existing providers of employment advice and support have done little to tackle the specific requirements of social housing tenants. The HECS service is designed to add to, rather than replace, mainstream provision and to demonstrate how tenants can be given access to a range of information and advice on employment and training opportunities and in-work benefits.

Our approach is aligned with communities and Local Government vision for ‘Enhanced Housing Options’, which envisages an holistic assessment of a housing applicant’s circumstances and the provision of personalised housing options, employment and benefits advice to tackle the root causes of housing need.

‘HECS was a useful early indicator for us of just how many of our CBL customers are interested in obtaining more help with training & employment’. Louise Murphy, Pathways for All Service Manager, London Borough Camden

What the service offers

The HECS service allows you to promote housing related services in a ‘one stop shop’ approach.
Acting as a gateway referral service linking employment opportunities with housing, HECS offers a personalised enhanced housing options service.