A ‘living room on wheels’ and domestic abuse advisory panel are part of 20 trials across England looking to amplify resident voices

The government has allocated £2m spread across 20 pilot programmes aiming to improve social housing providers’ engagement with their tenants and resolve problems faster.

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Social housing in Leeds

Funding from MHCLG’s Social Housing Innovation Fund announced last October and provides organisations with a share of £2m to launch schemes testing new ways of offering digital and face-to-face support to for repairs and communication.

The year-long trials will include a “living room on wheels” for Wigan Borough Council – a mobile unit traveling into estates to give residents the chance to talk to housing officers face-to-face.

Another pilot involves a digital platform for residents in high-risk buildings in Newham will allow council tenants to quickly raise concerns on building safety and a new advisory panel for Hillingdon Borough Council aims to give domestic abuse survivors a “powerful voice” in housing decisions.

MHCLG said thousands of tenants will be involved in the trials, including those facing challenges with engagement due to disability, trauma or low digital access.

The most successful interventions will then be rolled out nationwide after the trial period comes to an end.

The Social Housing Innovation Fund was introduced following the implementation of Awaab’s Law. It doubled from an initial £1m to £2m in December 2025, with landlords able to bid for up to £120,000 between 27 October 2025 and 9 January 2026.

The trials will be running by the end of April.

The Social Housing Innovation Fund has awarded funding for the following 20 projects:

  • Belonging Begins Here (BBH): Connecting our Communities. Accent Group. £120,000.
  • Trusted Voices: A Council of Elders Model for Refugee Tenant Engagement. Ashley Community & Housing Ltd. £76,442.
  • Ermine Community Partnership. Lincoln City Council. £104,049.
  • Connected Neighbours: New Models for tenant-landlord engagement. Clarion Housing Group. £119,110.
  • Our Homes. Leeds City Council.  £119.371.
  • Hidden Voices to be Heard. Loconomy Ltd. £120,000.
  • Amplifying Survivor Voices – Domestic Violence & Violence Against Women and Girls Residents. London Borough of Hillingdon.  £120,000.
  • Tenant Board Member Academy: Building Leadership from Within. Manningham House Association Limited. £70,000.
  • The Tenants’ Voice. National Communities Resource Centre Limited. £113,631.
  • Building Safety Resident Engagement at Scale. Newham Council. £120,000.
  • YouNG Networkers. Nottingham Community Housing Association. £98,889.
  • A National Voice for Shared Owners. The Places Foundation (led by Shared Ownership Resources). £120,000.
  • Richmond Community Ambassadors – Making a difference locally. London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. £102,316.
  • Virtual Voices: Enhancing Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Engagement Through Accessible Communication. Rooftop Housing Association. £75,500.
  • The G15 Residents’ Group: A Model for Strategic Resident Involvement. Southern Housing (led by G15 Resident Group). £70,000.
  • The LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge: tenant-led change in social housing. Stonewall Housing Association.  £95,250.
  • Improving resident scrutiny. Together Housing. £103,340.
  • Breaking the stigma: Stronger scrutiny in social housing. Vico Homes. £72,368.
  • Front room on wheels. Wigan Borough Council. £70,000.
  • Wythenshawe Enabled – Powered by Difference. Wythenshawe Community Housing Group. £95,900.

 

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