Housing Justice’s project “The Night Shelter Lettings Network” has been announced as the first prize winner of this year’s London Homelessness Awards.
The team received a specially designed trophy and a cheque for £30,000 from Baroness Louise Casey at a high-profile ceremony at St Martins in the Fields attended by over 120 people from across the sector in London.
Housing Justice created the Night Shelter Lettings Network, which they have recently renamed as London Lettings Network, which lists all rental properties in London with rents at Housing Benefit levels. This allows equal access to the latest property information, reducing the risk of people missing out on opportunities. The easy-to-use platform is used by caseworkers and their clients, giving more choice than was possible before.
Lucien Lawrence is a Special Projects Coordinator at Housing Justice. He said: “Night Shelters are an important element of support for people rough sleeping, accommodating approximately 1200 people during the winter. But using private sector properties to help people move on is an option that could be very helpful and should be used more. We list the properties, carry out checks, offer a referral service and pay upfront costs to secure the property. So far 75 people have been accommodated through the project in just one year.”
Bonnie Williams, Chief Executive of Housing Justice, said “We are delighted to accept this award for our work creating the London Lettings Network (LLN) which gives agency to those experiencing homelessness, enabling them to find suitable accommodation in the private rental sector without relying on a third party. Our approach in creating this service reflects our wider approach to helping people experiencing homelessness – we listen, we learn what the problems are, and we work to overcome them and address the gaps in the system to ensure that everyone can access the support and accommodation they need. We are pleased to have built relationships with estate agents across London and now provide a one-stop-shop for properties that accept housing benefit in the capital.”
Simon Dow is the Chair of the judging panel for the London Homelessness Awards. He said: “Once again – in the 25th year of the London Homelessness Awards – we have terrific winners for this year’s award. The judges saw real evidence of the endless ingenuity and determination of the organisations working with homeless people in London. We are proud to broadcast their successes.”
This year the judging panel awarded two second prizes of £15,000 each. These went to
- Lambeth Council’s Routes to Independence Pathway project
- Treasures Foundation “Revealing the hidden treasure in each woman”.
Three further projects were highly commended:
- Thames Reach: CHA and PLACE project
- The Passage: No Night Out service
- Turning Point: RBKC Rough Sleepers Drug and Alcohol Service
More details about the London Homelessness Awards, including a specially commissioned film about last year’s winners, the South London and Maudsley START Outreach Team, can be found at www.lhawards.org.uk