New five year plan will help those at risk of losing their homes

Nationwide Building Society claims that over the next five years, their Your Home, Your Money and Your Community schemes will help 750,000 people into a home of their own, as well as encourage a million people to start saving.

The new initiative is supported by charitable partners including housing charity Shelter and National Numeracy.

Nationwide's research with its customers, employees and wider stakeholders highlighted housing, financial guidance and community investment as their three main areas of concern.

Its 'Living On Your Side' scheme will initially focus on what it describes as "creating offerings specifically designed to enable people to access homes and savings for the first time" and the Society has also launched a new £1 million partnership with Shelter aimed at helping 16,000 people who are either at risk of losing their homes or vulnerable people with no housing at all.

The Your Home, project will also explore how it can support affordable housing and develop new products for the housing market.

Campbell Robb, Shelter CEO, said: “It’s good to see a financial services organisation really putting effort into making a difference to the lives of those in housing need. Shelter is a lifeline for anyone who is homeless or suffering bad housing and we’re proud to join forces to share our ideas and develop creative ways of tackling these difficulties.”