New report shows value of our stable home offer

A new report released today shows how Action Homeless’ Accommodation Plus approach has benefitted people experiencing homelessness in Leicester.  The report follows an evaluation that found that the Accommodation Plus approach allows clients to think about the longer term which is vital to wellbeing, and escaping the ‘revolving door’. Furthermore the security of the accommodation allows clients to think of their housing as a ‘home’.

The report has been compiled by Professor Jo Richardson of De Montfort University’s Faculty of Business and Law with funding from the Nationwide Foundation.

Accommodation Plus was initially developed in response to clients of Action Homeless expressing the need for ‘move-on’ accommodation. The shortage of local authority housing and the difficulties of getting private rented properties meant that Action Homeless clients had few options from which to move out of hostels. Alongside this, Action Homeless had the opportunity to receive grant money through the Empty Homes initiative. This involved renovating properties that had fallen into disrepair or stood empty for a period of time and renting them on long-term leases from private landlords.

Subsequently, Action Homeless have also bought a number of properties themselves to expand the service. Owning properties and obtaining others on long term leases enables Action Homeless to let clients stay in their accommodation for as long as they wish.

Accommodation Plus currently has 61 tenants, 23 of whom contributed to the study by giving interviews, living in 29 properties across the city. The scheme helps families as well as individuals. One tenant commented “we had nothing…they gave us everything…everything you need for a house”, with another saying “I’ve got a home for life”.

Crucially evaluation of the service revealed that it represents good financial and social return on initial investment and supports Action Homeless’ ambitions to make stable and secure housing available to more people that need it.

A full copy of the report, including case studies, is available for download: A+ Final Report .