Escape Family Support Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme Social Return on Investment Method Statement Social Return on Investment (SROI) seeks to provide an informed estimate of the monetary value of the interventions and support offered to clients, and the lifestyle and behavioural changes which result. An SROI analysis relies upon: A robust theory of change – what changes have occurred and how are they evidenced An understanding of scale - how much change has occurred and how long it has lasted/is expected to last An understanding of attribution – how much of that change would have happened without the intervention and support provided and how much may be attributable to other agencies Available financial proxies - what sources are available from which to make an informed estimate of the value the interventions and support In estimating the SROI of the Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme (RDGS), Escape has worked with Philip Angier and Dr Arthur Affleck of Angier Griffin. Their advice and support has been made possible as part of a Community Right to Challenge programme funded by the Social Investment Business. Theory of Change A theory of change Impact Map was adopted which considered the full range of Escape’s family support interventions. The Impact Map served to highlight that central to Escape’s effectiveness as a support organisation is the range of interventions it is able to sustain – giving clients access to a breadth of support. Scale & Impact This breadth of provision also means that Escape is able to introduce clients to specific support interventions – such as the RDGS – when they are ready. Taking care in accepting the right clients onto the Scheme has resulted in a relative low level of failure in terms of the number and value of bonds forfeited. Of the 45 tenancies created, 4 tenants have left their tenancies with landlords making valid bond claims which were not covered by the total amount of client bond savings. The total liability of paperless bonds to date is £18,986.00 of which £702.00 has been paid out of bond reserves. There is currently £2,887.04 available bond reserves and £7,410.96 being repaid which will be recycled. The current Local Authority investment into the bond reserves is £11,000.00 the use of the Credit Union repayment approach and recycling of bond reserves means that funds become available for reinvestment before a tenancy ends. This has allowed ESCAPE to maximise the number of clients who benefit from the scheme. Attribution The question of attribution for the RDGS is complicated. Securing a tenancy may be the ‘tipping point’ for significant change in the life of a client – from a chaotic lifestyle with bouts of substance abuse, children at risk and occasional brushes with the justice system to a more settled lifestyle, children attending school and engagement with education or training for employment. Clearly the whole effect of that transformation cannot be attributed to the RDGS – it is the cumulative product of support from statutory agencies, from family and friends, and (often) from Escape both before and during their participation in the Scheme. Nevertheless, without RDGS or its equivalent to help secure a tenancy, some of the other fruits of support will not be realised. 5 case studies have been prepared (attached as appendix 3) to illustrate the ‘moment of change’ which RDGS can bring about, and also some of the fruits in terms of improved outcomes for the tenant and their family. For the purposes of attribution of SROI, a suggested attribution percentage has been attached to each case study, and the total aggregated according to an illustrative range of projected outcomes (attached as appendix 2) Financial Proxies (appendix 1) Informed by the case studies, Dr Arthur Affleck has research a range of financial proxies which illustrate the saving to the public purse of supporting individuals to adopt a more stable and economically active lifestyle. Given the care with which clients are accepted onto to the RDGS, judgement must also be used in the use of these financial proxies. For instance the costs of drug related crime will be weighted by the (higher) costs of repeat offenders. Those deemed to be ready to engage with the RDGS are likely to be less frequently involved with the police. By the same token those ready to take on a tenancy are more likely also to be ready to access support into employment or training – thus some element of ‘dead weight’ (this would have happened anyway) should be assumed. Estimating the SROI of the Scheme In the light of all of the considerations above, it may be most appropriate to suggest a range of social return. Over 3 years the Local Authority have invested £113,291.00. If a strong view of attribution is taken, giving weighting to the wider contribution of ESCAPE Family Support in preparing clients for and supporting them through their tenancy, then the social return may be as high as £3.16 for every £1 invested. If a weaker view of attribution is taken, giving more weighting to the support of outside agencies, family and friends, and recognising the implicit deadweight (some clients would have succeeded anyway) then the social return may be closer to £1.50 for every £1 invested.