Using the Private Rented Sector successfully to house single homeless people

Transcription

1 Using the Private Rented Sector successfully to house single homeless people

2 About us Crisis is the English national charity for single homeless people. We are dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering lifechanging services and campaigning for change. Crisis is the national lead in England & Scotland on using the private rented sector as a housing option for homeless people.

3 Our private renting credentials Crisis private renting work focuses on private rented sector access schemes - which work with both landlords and tenants to establish and sustain private tenancies. Since 1997 we have specialised in advice and support on developing work on private renting. We have worked with local authorities and charities, we set up the National Private Renting Advisory Service, SmartMove and other initiatives.

4 Sustain Sustain is a 3 year longitudinal study following homeless households placed in the PRS, carried out by Crisis and Shelter and funded by the Big Lottery People wanted their PRS property to be a home Conditions were a problem across the board Landlord behaviour was generally poor People found being moved away from their home area disruptive Many participants struggled with household costs and debt Support was often not available after they had moved into the tenancy Read more:

5 The Whitechapel Centre Rob Farnos Accessing the Private Rented Sector

6 What we are about A major homeless charity in the Liverpool region Work with people who are homeless, sleeping rough, living in hostels or struggling to manage their accommodation Provide a range of services including Homeless Hub; Outreach; Resettlement Support; Family Centre; Peer Mentoring; Enablement Services; Private Renting

7 Housing Market in Liverpool & Merseyside Large private rented sector, reasonable supply within LHA rates, property condition issues Large social housing sector but shortage of one beds Significant homelessness issue but modest tally from rough sleeping counts More challenging PRS supply and affordability outside Liverpool

8 PRS Bond Scheme Clients Single Homeless or Rough Sleeping in Liverpool & Merseyside Referrals from HOS & other agencies Cashless bond in lieu of a deposit Support for 6 months or longer

9 Outcomes 114 people into accommodation last year 93% sustained tenancy 3.5k paid out in bond claims of 42.7k committed

10 Keys to Success LHA payment direct to landlord Person centred support Named Whitechapel worker for landlord Keeping good relationship with landlords

11 Challenges Managing demand/ responding to need Sourcing affordable properties in some areas Client expectations Benefits & sanctions

12 Case Studies Andy Denise Jim

13 Andrew Beeput Chief Officer

14 Introduction Context and background of the Bond Board Brief overview of our services Ten ways we improve our outcomes and outputs for all our stakeholders

15 A homelessness charity that specialises in providing services to vulnerable tenants living in or trying to access the private rented sector. We have been delivering PRS services for the last 22 years. We are based in Greater Manchester and primarily deliver our services in Bolton and Rochdale. We have been a Crisis Good Practice Champion twice, in 2013 and 2015.

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17 The Bond Board provides a range of services to private rented tenants and landlords - these include: Bond Guarantee Schemes, a Social Letting Agency, a PRS floating support service, Pre tenancy/ Quids In workshops and Frequent Flyers project.

18 Criteria for our Bond Guarantee or Letting Out Single people, couples and families 18+ who are on a low income, homeless, or in unaffordable accommodation. We do require that people can demonstrate the skills to manage a tenancy or willingness to access support.

19 PRS Bond Scheme in Numbers in Rochdale and Bolton 2014/ households with a Bond 434 households in accommodation after 12 months 296 new tenancies created 79 families and 217 singles & couples 148,378 committed in Bonds 21% claim rate

20 This is a housing management scheme, part of which is aimed at offering shared housing to those aged under 35 and on a low income. No forced matching and only two people sharing 70 properties in management Currently 36 people sharing

21 Ten things that we do to improve our outcomes and outputs for all of our stakeholders

22 1. Partnerships

23 2. Looking for opportunities in the challenges, to create new solutions.

24 3. Innovations

25 4. Taking the long view

26 5. Demonstrating empathy and support for tenants and landlords

27 6. Managing and sharing the risks

28 7. Responsive, flexible and reflective services

29 8. Adapting to the local market

30 9. Experienced, knowledgeable and engaged staff teams

31 10. Diverse funding sources

32 Any questions?

33 Services for landlords and clients Why pre-tenancy training? Managing clients' expectations Prevention of repeat homelessness More likely problems can be resolved before eviction is necessary Landlords feel reassured they are getting good tenant Tenants feel empowered and confident to deal with issues themselves Tenants will gain skills to manage better on a low income Renting Ready: Housing Options: Understanding how it all works - rights and responsibilities Getting ready to move: what are landlords looking for, what do I need to consider? Money Matters: budgeting, understanding financial liabilities/credit/financial products Making the money go further: cooking on a budget, getting free stuff Making a house a home: basic DIY, furnishings, when to ask the landlord Finding and living with flatmates: flatmate types, how to prevent and deal with common problems Make sure clients understand it, attendance is not enough!

34 The Sharing Solutions Programme 8 schemes Aim - Create replicable models and sustainable tenancies Learning and good practice programme Supply and support

35 Support Training flats Peer mentors Lead tenants Non-resident parent households Pre-tenancy training Matching

36 Property conditions Private rented sector access schemes work hard to improve and ensure decent standards of housing for the tenants they are assisting Inspect all properties they use and have a minimum standard that is acceptable Educate tenants and landlords on what is acceptable, helping improve where possible or report poor standards where necessary Derventio Crisis Private Renting Champion 2015 on addressing property conditions in the private rented sector

37 Health and wellbeing Ensure that where a client is being supported into the private rented sector it is the right housing option for them A good assessment, pre-tenancy training, assistance with settling in and ongoing links to support is important Housing can be a platform for maintaining or improving other areas of a tenant s life Porchlight - Crisis Private Renting Champion 2015 on health and wellbeing

38 Supply Supply for our clients is not just about building new homes It s also about accessing the right accommodation, bringing rented properties into the LHA market and bringing empty/poor quality homes into use Provide a good support service, be professional, link landlords into training/grants, make the financial case to landlords Look at other areas responsibly! Elmbridge Rentstart - Crisis Private Renting Champion 2015 on innovative ways of improving supply.

39 Affordability Thorough assessments of clients financial situation and improvement of their financial capabilities through pre-tenancy training Provide bond guarantees or support clients to access cash for rent in advance or deposits Ensure clients do not move into a property they cannot afford Support clients to save and access ethical financial products SHP - Crisis Private Renting Champion 2015 on Improving clients financial capability.

40 Private Renting Champions 2015 Derventio (Derbyshire) - Addressing property conditions in the private rented sector CABWHABAC (Worcestershire) & The Whitechapel Centre (Merseyside) - Landlord and client support SHP (London) - Improving clients financial capability Porchlight (Kent) - Health and wellbeing Bond Board (Rochdale & Bolton) - Partnership working Elmbridge Rentstart (Surrey) - Innovative ways of improving supply

41 Contact and resources Online toolkits, guides and fact sheets Making it count Renting Ready Training and events London Practitioners Forum Find a scheme webpage Contact the Crisis Housing Team at private.renting@crisis.org.uk