working with durham university to understand barriers to work in county durham

believe housing has contributed practitioner insight to a research project examining economic inactivity in County Durham and how more people can be supported towards work and long-term stability.

Economic inactivity refers to people who are not in paid work and who are not currently looking for or available for employment. This includes carers, students, people with long-term health conditions and early retirees.

The report, People, Place and Purpose: Understanding and Tackling Economic Inactivity, challenges the assumption that people are economically inactive due to a lack of motivation or willingness to work.

Instead, it highlights how poor health, fragmented health and social support, limited access to education, digital exclusion and longstanding stigma combine to create barriers that are difficult to overcome alone.

Focusing on County Durham, where almost one in four working-age adults are not in employment, the research explores how economic inactivity is shaped by structural, cultural and emotional factors rather than individual failings.

Researcher Dr Sanne Elbrink from Durham University said: “Economic inactivity should not be framed as an individual failing, but understood as a structural challenge requiring coordinated, compassionate, and flexible responses.”

The report was produced through a collaboration between Durham University researchers and believe housing, facilitated by the University’s Social Science Enterprise Lab.

It sets out a practical framework for collective action across government, industry and wider society, bringing together housing associations, employers, voluntary organisations and policymakers.

By reframing economic inactivity as a shared, place-based challenge, the report outlines a scalable approach to improving access to meaningful, secure and well-paid work, with recommended actions for housing associations clearly set out.

For believe housing, which manages more than 18,000 social and affordable homes across the northeast of England, the findings reflect everyday experience.

Alongside its core purpose of providing healthy, affordable homes and enhancing communities, the organisation offers a range of support to customers. This includes working with partners to provide joined-up support, meaningful opportunities and access to training and local jobs.

believe housing became involved in the research to deepen understanding of what holds people back from work or training. Its Employability Team worked alongside academics, sharing practitioner insight and customers’ lived experience.

Rachel Edmunds, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at believe housing, said: “Each year, we support around 170 customers and residents into volunteering, training and employment, while also helping others take positive steps towards future opportunities. This meant we were able to bring voices and perspectives grounded in lived experience into the research.

“It was valuable to combine that lived experience with academic thinking and research methods to explore the challenges residents face around economic activity.

“Everyone involved brought different knowledge and skills, but we were united by a shared social purpose and a commitment to finding solutions rather than stigmatising people. “Together, we developed evidence that can help us rethink what effective support looks like.

“As the project moves into its next phase, exploring the role of employers and how SMEs can be supported, we hope it continues to generate practical insights that benefit individuals, communities and the wider economy.”

The project is funded by Durham University’s Smart and Scale programme.

Programme Lead Professor Jonathan Kimmitt said: “This project has the potential to bring more economically inactive people into the workforce, while helping regional SMEs to develop tools and scale-up interventions effectively.”

Read the People, Place and Purpose: Understanding and Tackling Economic Inactivity report.