COVID-19 payments to social housing landlords and tenants through pandemic funds: FOI release

Information requested

1) Between March 23, 2020 to the date of this request, how much money has been paid to social housing landlords through funds established due to the impact of Covid-19? Please break this down by funding scheme. This should include any loan scheme.

2) Between March 23, 2020 to the date of this request, how much money has been paid to social housing tenants through funds established due to the impact of Covid-19? Please break this down by funding scheme. This should include any loan scheme.

Response

1) Between March 23, 2020 and the date of the request £6,817,504.30 has been paid to social housing landlords as part of mitigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and supporting tenants. Further information on each of these funding schemes is provided below.

Name of fund	Amount awarded
Supporting Communities Fund	£3,231,945
Community Recovery Fund	£1,458,167
Tenant Hardship Loan Fund	£89,392.30
Immediate Priorities Fund	£38,000
Social Housing Tenants Fuel Support Fund	£2,000,000

Supporting Communities Fund

Further information about the organisations awarded funding through the Supporting Communities Fund is available at: Supporting communities affected by coronavirus - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Community Recovery Fund

Further information about the Community Recovery Fund is available at: Community & Third Sector Recovery Programme – SCVO.

Tenant Hardship Loan Fund
Tenants who receive support from our Tenant Hardship Loan Fund can choose to have the loan funds paid directly to their landlord (social and private) or to themselves. The Scottish Government does not hold a breakdown of how many successful loan recipients chose to have the money paid directly to their landlord.

The £89,392.30 of loan funds in relation to applicants living in the social rented sector will therefore include monies that will have been paid to social tenants and directly to their landlord.

The Immediate Priorities Fund

Further information about the organisations awarded funding through the Immediate Priorities fund is available on the Scottish Government’s website at: Immediate Priorities Fund: organisations funded - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Social Housing Fuel Support Fund

The Social Housing Fuel Support Fund was managed and administered by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations The fund aimed to provide practical support to tenants of Registered Social Landlords in order to help them to manage or reduce their energy costs.

2) Between March 23, 2020 to the date of this request, how much money has been paid to social housing tenants through funds established due to the impact of Covid-19? Please break this down by funding scheme. This should include any loan scheme.

As at 06 September 2021, £89,392.30 of loan funds were paid in relation to applicants living in the social rented sector. This will include monies that will have been paid to social tenants and directly to their landlord as we do not hold a breakdown of this figure in relation to this.

We do not hold a breakdown of how many social rented sector tenants will have benefited from wider funds established due to the impact of Covid-19 for example through the £350m Communities Fund announced in March 2020 and the Winter Support package.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.