OnDemand: The Supporting Vulnerable Tenants Conference 2026

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You can watch all the insights, key sessions, and expert discussions from the Wellbeing in the Voluntary Sector Conference 2026 by purchasing our OnDemand Event. Access full recordings of every session, including presentations from leading industry speakers, and watch at your own pace.

Benefits of OnDemand:

• Watch on your own schedule – no need to clear your calendar or worry about time zones
• Learn at your own pace – pause, rewind, and rewatch key moments to fully absorb the content
• Get instant access after purchase to expert insights and curated content, perfect for industry professionals who want high-value content OnDemand

Access this conference OnDemand today for £245 here.

2026 Overview

For vulnerable tenants, poor housing can have life-changing consequences. The introduction of regulatory changes like Awaab’s Law and the Renters’ Rights reforms are designed to prevent harm and give tenants greater security, but many still struggle to access safe, supportive housing. Housing providers must take a more proactive and joined-up approach to safeguarding and tenancy sustainment.

• Around three in five households (61%) in the social rented sector had one or more household members with a long-term illness or disability (English Housing Survey 2024-2025)
• 27% of social renters struggled to pay their rent during 2023/24 (English Housing Survey, 2023-2024)
• Just under one in 10 (8%) of social renters reported experiencing homelessness in the last few years (English Housing Survey, 2023-2024)

The Supporting Vulnerable Tenants Conference 2026 examined the ongoing and emerging challenges facing vulnerable residents in social and supported housing. Key discussions included the national approach to supporting vulnerable tenants and targeted support for groups such as women escaping violence, immigrants, asylum seekers, and those who are disabled or suffering from mental health illnesses.

2026 Agenda

• 9.50am

  Chair’s Opening Remarks

  Dr Sharda Rozena, School of Geography and Planning, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, University of Sheffield

  

• 10.00am

  Keynote: What Regulation Means for Supporting Vulnerable Tenants

  • Understanding what the strengthened consumer standards mean in practice for housing providers
  • Outlining the Safety and Quality Standard and the regulator’s expectations around repairs, damp and mould, and property condition
  • What inspection findings so far tell us about the sector’s performance

  Jack Smith, Assistant Director of Assessment and Tenant Engagement, Regulator of Social Housing 

  

• 10.20am

  Keynote: Exploring Different Experiences of Poverty in Social Housing

  Rebecca Rieley, Head of Communities and Projects, HACT 

  

• 10.40am

  Questions and Answers 

• 11.00am

  Comfort Break 

• 11.20am

  Keynote: Creating a Culture of Safeguarding in Housing Service Provision

  • What a strong safeguarding culture looks like in housing settings
  • Supporting frontline staff to recognise risk and escalate concerns
  • Learning from safeguarding failures and serious incidents
  • Embedding safeguarding into everyday practice rather than policy alone

  Dr Liz Gailer, Director of Professional Development and Research, The Safeguarding Alliance

  

• 11.40am

  Case Study: Supporting LGBTQ+ Tenants

  • The LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge: An introduction to this free of charge initiative and how it equips social housing providers to better meet the needs of their LGBTQ+ residents
  • Good practice examples: A showcase of real-world examples highlighting what effective, inclusive support looks like in practice across the sector
  • The LGBTQ+ landscape in social housing: An overview of the broader challenges and inequalities faced by LGBTQ+ residents living in social housing, and why targeted support is needed

  Jack Mason, LGBTQ Housing Pledge Coordinator, Stonewall Housing

  

• 12.00pm

  Questions and Answers 

• 12.20pm

  Lunch Break

• 1.40pm

  Case Study: Implementing a Whole Housing Approach

  • Why housing is a critical protection for domestic abuse survivors
  • How landlords can safeguard survivors of domestic abuse
  • Implementing innovative, survivor‑centred housing responses
  • Delivering tangible outcomes through thinking beyond traditional housing models

  Nicki Clarke, Head of Service – Housing & Criminal Justice, Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse

  

  Ian Swift, Director of Housing Operations and Deputy Corporate Director, Islington Council

  

• 2.00pm

  Case Study: How Allocation Policies Affect Domestic Abuse Survivors with Housing-related Debt

  • Understanding how housing-related debt rules create barriers for domestic abuse survivors
  • Outlining the impact of economic abuse on arrears, housing options and tenancy security
  • Gaps in current allocation policies and safeguarding approaches
  • Practical recommendations for housing providers and local authorities

  Stephanie Morphew, Policy and Practice Officer, Chartered Institute of Housing

• 2.20pm

  Question and Answers 

• 2.40pm

  Comfort Break

• 3.00pm

  Case Study: Short, Safe, and Healthy Temporary Accommodation 

  • What is Temporary Accommodation (TA)?
  • Outlining the factors that have seen the numbers of households in TA rise so steeply
  • A review of actions taken to improve the experiences of those living in TA
  • How do we prevent TA becoming a new tenure by default?

  Mark Phillippo, Transforming Temporary Accommodation Programme Manager, Justlife Foundation

  

• 3.20pm

  Case Study: Trauma Informed Responses for Supporting Hoarders 

  • Understanding hoarding through a trauma-informed lens rather than compliance or enforcement alone
  • New and emerging best practice for supporting people who hoard
  • Practical communication approaches that build trust, safety, and engagement
  • Key principles for professionals supporting individuals affected by hoarding in health, housing, social care, and community settings

  Kayley Hyman, Founder, Holistic Hoarding

  

• 3.40pm

  Questions and Answers

• 4.00pm

  Chair’s Closing Remarks

  Dr Sharda Rozena, School of Geography and Planning, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, University of Sheffield

  

• 4.10pm

  Conference Close 

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2026 Speakers

Fuad Mahmed

CEO and Founder

ACH Housing

Professor Caroline Hunter

Head of York Law School

University of York

Zoe Miller

Compliance and Systemic Investigations Manager

Housing Ombudsman

Dr Edward Kirton-Darling

Senior Lecturer

University of Bristol

Dr Kelly Henderson CIHCM

Founder & Managing Director

Addressing Domestic Abuse

Nick Connolly

CEO

EveryYouth

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