PRS project helps 160 people out of homelessness in its first year

Nearly 160 people have found a place to call home thanks to a partnership between homelessness charity Crisis and the TDS Charitable Foundation.

Launched just over a year ago, the three-year initiative has shown the potential of the private rented sector to provide homes for those in need.

With funding from the TDS Charitable Foundation, Crisis has deployed five Housing Access Specialists across Merseyside, Newcastle, Oxford, Birmingham and South Wales.

These experts work directly with landlords and letting agents and help tenants receive the right help to settle into and sustain their new homes.

That includes assistance to claim benefits to accessing wellbeing support.

The Foundation has also provided £192,039 in direct support for essentials such as deposits and furniture to help new tenants set up their homes.

Working with private landlords

Beyond providing practical aid, the collaboration has pushed for policy reforms.

Together, the organisations have campaigned to unfreeze housing benefit rates and urged the government to include rent data in the national private rented property database.

The Foundation’s chair, Paula Quigley, said: “It’s inspiring to see how many lives have already been transformed.

“Access to safe, secure housing is the foundation for everything else, from finding work to rebuilding relationships and independence.”

She added: “This partnership continues to show the potential of the private sector to be part of the solution to homelessness.

“By working hand in hand with landlords, letting agents and local communities, we can make a real and lasting difference.”

‘Connect with landlords in new ways’

Juliet Mountford of Crisis said: “Our partnership with the TDS Charitable Foundation has shown what’s possible when we work together to unlock the potential of the private rented sector in ending homelessness.

“In just one year, nearly 160 people have been able to move into safe and stable homes which have allowed them to rebuild their lives with hope and dignity.”

She added: “This collaboration has also allowed us to connect with landlords in new ways, challenging the preconceptions which some people hold about landlords, and providing support which helps tenancies not only to begin, but to last.

“The commitment of TDS has not only transformed individual lives but helped us to demonstrate that housing-led approaches are the quickest and most effective way of ending homelessness for good.”