Ending homelessness through Private Renting: Early insights from the evaluation of Crisis’ PRS Access Scheme

Carving out the time and resource to step back and look at how things are working, can help us know for sure whether our time and resources are making a meaningful difference. 

This is why the TDS-funded Housing Access Scheme is the subject of an independent evaluation conducted by MEL Research. We are over halfway through the evaluation span, and have early insights that give us a flavour of what we will learn about the service. 

Over the last few months, the evaluators have collected stories and perspectives of landlords, of Crisis’ clients (‘members’) and of Housing Access specialists, embedded in Crisis’ holistic homelessness services (‘Skylights’) in Birmingham, Oxford, South Wales, Merseyside and Newcastle. These specialists, funded by TDS, work directly with landlords operating in the community. They bring together landlords seeking tenants, and tenants seeking private rented sector (PRS) properties, setting up new tenancies, and supporting tenants and landlords to keep the tenancies going. 

What difference it’s making 

‘If they weren’t there, I don’t think I would have been where I am now’ (member) 

Members have shared that their homelessness has ended through moving into private rented properties they would otherwise have struggled to secure without the help of the Housing Access scheme. Some had been rough sleeping before Crisis’ support, with settled housing seeming far out of reach, but now have a home thanks to the specialists’ efforts working with local landlords. 

Members spoke of the confidence they had regained now they were accommodated, of their engagement in employment, education and community connections, and of optimism for their future. As we know, it is critical to have a home for the stable foundation upon which we can live and grow. 

“Compared to the normal way of renting a house, because you know these people are from Crisis, so you have your mind at rest” (landlord) 

Landlords spoke of this scheme connecting them with a tenant group they wouldn’t otherwise be linked with, thus widening the pool of prospective tenants. The specialists, they reported, create a reliable route through which properties can be matched to people – indeed, some landlords offer properties to Crisis first before marketing them more widely.  

Some described how this new tenant group had been demystified, reporting a better understanding of homelessness, an improved perception of homelessness, and greater confidence supporting vulnerable tenants more widely.  

What’s making it work? 

“[the support from Crisis is] Above and beyond” (landlord) 

These early findings show the key ingredients that make it work, including: 

• The thorough pre-tenancy checks the Housing Access specialist conducts, which landlords indicate give them assurance and peace of mind.
• The pre-tenancy training the Skylight offers members ahead of any move, which members say equips them to manage their tenancy and understand tenant responsibilities 
• The offer of rent guarantee insurance products, funded by TDS, which has reopened conversations with landlords who had been apprehensive and risk-averse 
• The specialist as a single point of contact at Crisis for the landlords, who understand the needs and concerns of the landlords in their area  
• The ongoing post-tenancy support offered to both landlords and new tenants, which some landlords describe as highly valuable in preventing issues spiralling and tenancies ending early. 

“I admire the way Crisis are prepared to step in wherever they can” (landlord) 

Looking ahead 

At only part-way through the evaluation project, these findings are only preliminary. There is much more to learn; and more members, more landlords, and more staff to learn from.  

We are keen to learn about opportunities to make our services more effective, to help us end homelessness for more people through the Private Rented Sector.  

We’re also interested in the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act on new tenancies: has the new legislation changed the nature of the work for our Housing Access specialists?  

And we’ll use the learning as we adapt our services: how might we best reach out to the landlords least likely to engage, or the landlords who manage properties best suited to our members? And are there other key ingredients that need to be in place for this to work? 

These promising early findings suggest that with dedicated resource for creating bridges between landlords seeking well-prepared, supported tenants and people seeking a private rental home to end their homelessness, a mutually beneficial deal can be struck. The evaluation is creating an evidence base showing that with each new willing landlord, and with each tenancy skills trained member, with each newly signed lease, the private rented sector is a solution to homelessness. 

Learn more about our work with landlords.