Cornish charity appeals for landlords to house the homeless this Christmas
Harbour Housing has been granted £45,000 to help fund the Landlord Incentive Scheme
A Cornish homeless charity is appealing for landlords to provide rented accommodation for their clients in time for Christmas.
Harbour Housing has received a Community Grant of £45,000 from building society, Nationwide, to run their Landlord Incentive Scheme which aims to help people with a history of homelessness move into their own accommodation in the private rented sector.
The charity is looking for landlords from all across the Duchy who want to help people who have experienced homelessness and faced multiple disadvantages, regain their independence and move forward with their lives.
Many of these individuals will not have had a permanent home to call their own during their adult lives, making such a move even more crucial.
Thanks to the funding, three months of support will be provided by Harbour to both the landlord and new tenant to ensure that the move is sustainable and a success for both parties.
Financial incentives are also available to landlords and will act as reassurance in case of delays in Universal Credit payments or similar.
Before being referred into the scheme, Harbour’s residents must complete a NOCN accredited Pre-Tenancy Training course which teaches them the key skills that they need to live independently, including managing money, paying bills and looking after a home.
This gives them the tools they need to make their move a long-term success.
Karl is a former resident of Harbour Housing and benefitted from the scheme last year:
“I did my pre-tenancy training and then within a couple of weeks I’d moved from supported housing into my own property.
“And so I moved in after, they helped me with utilities, basically the first month’s rent and stuff like that, getting set up, but there was quite a lot of involvement on their Harbour’s behalf.”
Karl, former resident of Harbour Housing
“This scheme is such a great opportunity for landlords who want to offer a chance for those ready to move on from homelessness.
“Landlords are supported at every stage of the process and clients are matched to suitable properties to ensure that they are able to flourish in their new communities.
“Financial support in the form of rent in advance and a deposit acts as reassurance and ongoing support for both the landlord and tenant ensures the success of the move.
“We have had some really great successes with this project so far, and are looking forward to welcoming new landlords onto the scheme.
“We really want to see some successful move-ons before Christmas so people can be in a place of their own for the festive season.
“If you’re a landlord and based anywhere in Cornwall and want to find out more, please get in touch on 01726 74186 or email support@harbourhousing.com__.”
Emily Hill, Harbour Housing