Project supporting private renters in top six for prestigious awards
Safer Renting, a project supported by Cambridge House that works with vulnerable people renting in the private sector, has been commended in the 2018 London Homelessness Awards. They came through a field of over 30 applicants to make it to the final six.
Roz Spencer of Safer Renting said: “Eviction from private rented housing is a real concern and the primary driver of rising homelessness in London. We work with people in bottom-end private rented housing – that some might call slum rentals – to give them advice and support to prevent homelessness.”
The Safer Renting team identify at-risk tenants of offending landlords by working closely with local authorities. At present they work with 200 households in partnership with Croydon, Hounslow, Enfield and Waltham Forest, but they hope to use this awards to expand the service.
So far they have stopped illegal evictions, reduced the risk of homelessness in over three quarters of cases and secured compensation for six families.
Roz said: “We are delighted that the judges recognised the importance of encouraging this project to be in private tenants’ corner, determined to push back on the growing number of criminal landlords who think nothing of brutally evicting their tenants in search of higher returns. We want more councils to see that engaging services such as ours is a great way to deliver on their homelessness reduction targets.”
Simon Dow chaired the judging panel for the London Homelessness Awards.
He said: “Residents in the private rented sector can find themselves homeless through absolutely no fault of their own. The Cambridge House Safer Renting team is doing fantastic work in supporting and advocating for private renters in vulnerable situations. The judges wish them every success as they seek to expand the important work they do.
More details about the London Homelessness Awards can be found at www.lhawards.org.uk.
