Landlords fund-raising for the homeless

Landlords fund-raising for the homeless

13:47 PM, 29th November 2017, About 6 years ago 98

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We are interested in setting up a charity or alternatively setting up a crowdfunding page, to help the homeless. The idea is that private landlords, who already play a massive and critical role in housing in the UK – housing around 5 million households, including many who would otherwise be homeless – add to our role by making a further contribution to alleviate homelessness and the misery it causes.

Our main emphasis will be in helping to get roofs over people’s heads. We will stand apart from organisations like Shelter which provide no housing. This means that landlords who want to contribute in this way will have the opportunity of really helping.

I have started this thread with the aim of encouraging any ideas, offers of help and so on and we can see what interest there is in this and then take it further.

We can then also see, for example, what role the main landlord organisations may like to take – especially in encouraging their membership to donate, for example.

But we must get it right. It has to be concrete, practical help and we will all offer our time for free and stand to gain nothing from it personally.

Thoughts below please.


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Comments

julie.stace

11:33 AM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Robert Mellors at 30/11/2017 - 11:05
That would be fantastic Mark. What's the best way to contact you?

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

11:36 AM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by at 30/11/2017 - 11:33
I am happy for Robert Mellors to post his email address in the comments page of this thread if he wishes to do so. Same for you.

I am equally happy to email you Robert's email address and vice versa to introduce you to each other if you both comment consenting for me to do that. I am naturally cautious about data protection issues.

Dr Rosalind Beck

11:41 AM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by at 30/11/2017 - 11:33
Yes, thanks for sharing all your expertise with us Robert. It is extremely helpful.

Robert M

11:46 AM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by at 30/11/2017 - 11:33
Hi Julie

My email is robert.mellors@hotmail.co.uk

julie.stace

12:25 PM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 30/11/2017 - 11:36
I am happy for you to share my email address with Robert. Many thanks

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

12:57 PM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Robert Mellors at 30/11/2017 - 11:46
Hi Robert

It seems to me that you are way ahead of the majority of us here in terms of your knowledge of this subject.

Have you considered registering your 'not-for-profit' company as a charity (eligible for gift aid) or registering a charity alongside it?

If you were to do that it would also seem logical for Property118 to adopt that as it's official charity.

Steven Tennant

13:32 PM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 30/11/2017 - 12:57
Hi all,
I am willing to donate some of my time to this project.
I'm a time served carpenter / joiner who progressed to site manager (newbuild housing and refurbs). I live in the same area as Robert in Sheffield.
I have a portfolio of properties and do all of my own maintenance and aquisitions.
I also have links with a Sheffield based homeless charity, and let 7 of my properties to them on Company Let Agreements.
Let me know if you need my help.

Robert M

13:34 PM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 30/11/2017 - 12:57
Hi Mark

I have considered this several times, and looked into it in some detail, but in order for me to do that I would have to recruit and appoint a board of trustees, and I would lose all control of my business operations. It has taken me 5 years to get to this point with the supported hostel accommodation, and there is no way I would have got here if the organisation was controlled by a board of trustees, as they would not have had my vision, or faith in my concepts (especially when being ignored or fobbed off by the Council for 14 months). So no, I could not make Choice Housing Ltd into a charity, it will remain as a "not for profit" company limited by guarantee.

However, there is perhaps some scope for setting up a separate charity that simply provides the Support Workers. This could work with a board of trustees and charitable funding (donations), such that the charity provides the Support Workers for deployment in the hostels supporting the residents. The provision of the Support Workers then enables more hostels to be opened, and more homeless people to be housed and supported and not have to live on the streets. Yes, I think that could work well.

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

14:04 PM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Steven Tennant at 30/11/2017 - 13:32
Hi Stephen

Company Letting agreements are fine if the occupants of the properties are employees of the properties. If they are not, then you're using the wrong agreements.

Robert's email address has already been posted on this thread so you might wish to contact him directly.

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

14:06 PM, 30th November 2017, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Robert Mellors at 30/11/2017 - 13:34
I thought that's what you might say Robert.

I you do decide to set up a charity alongside your existing structure then please let us know, either on this thread or maybe by starting another.

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