Housing Advice
Our Housing Advice Services are encompassed withint two projects, the Merton Young Person's Project and the Barnet Housing Advice Service:
Merton Young Person’s Project
Our Housing Advice service for young people focuses on homeless prevention, with an approach that takes into account educational and employment opportunities, as well as housing factors. The Young Person’s Specialist Advice Manager provides a unique service for both homeless young people and a consultancy service for professionals.
We provide a Housing Advice Service at the Merton campus of South Thames College. Young people can access the service by going into the student advice centre at the campus. Tutors and other professionals also refer young people identified as needing an advice or advocacy service. Many of the young people we see have complex needs and therefore require more specialist advice and may be particularly vulnerable or lacking in confidence. Experience of domestic violence, or other forms of abuse at home, is a common trigger for seeking help with housing.
Areas of assistance include:
- Finding housing and related resources
- Claiming welfare benefits and advice about entitlement
- Identifying clients that require legal advice and referring them to our non-profit legal team
- Preventing homelessness through exploring a full range of accommodation options and alternatives to leaving home
- Signposting and referring to other specialist agencies, such as those offering counselling and mediation as well as guidance with career choices and job seeking.
This service is available during term time and in the last academic year provided support and advice to 38 clients.
We also provide a consultancy and capacity building service to professionals working with young people in Merton. This includes a helpline for workers who require specialist advice (including legal advice) regarding housing issues for young people. Their clients’ accommodation difficulties are frequently compounded by their own or parental social exclusion and barriers like drug or alcohol misuse, mental health problems or offending behaviour. This service received 115 enquiries for 62 young people during the period 2010/11.
For further information please contact Elsa Ward by email on elsa.ward@broadwaylondon.org.
Barnet Housing Advice Service
Barnet Housing Advice Service was set up in 2004. Through the Foundation project we provide intensive series of tenancy sustainment workshops and a package of one to one support focusing on life and social skills to those who are homeless/or threatened with homelessness, who have a history of offending and substance misuse. We facilitate finding private rented accomodati9n through our rent deposit guarantee scheme.
Our objectives for our work in Barnet are to:
- Prevent homelessness and rough sleeping by ensuring that people have specialist advice and support.
- Prevent further homelessness by providing training to manage finances and personal administration.
- Increase confidence by assisting people to engage in the local community and relevant activities.
- Secure accommodation through private rented sector or housing association.
The outcomes will be:
- 100% of clients seen at the centre will be aware of their rights
- 75% of clients will significantly improve their life and social skills
- 90% of clients will be in permanent accommodation
- 60% of clients will have maintained their tenancy by 2015.
Of the 4,000 clients who use the service each year:
- Over 50% are unemployed and receiving Jobseekers Allowance
- More than 25% of clients are homeless or will become homeless in seven days.
- 30% are likely to become homeless in 28 days
- 25% are likely to lose their accommodation in over 28 days.
- 20% are likely to be living in unsuitable accommodation that is overcrowded or unaffordable.
For further information please contact Alaicos Hagi-Georgiou on
ahagi-georgiou@broadwaylondon.org or 020 8446 3639
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