The local authority have launched a new scheme that will fund rental deposits and first advanced rent payments to landlords for residents registered as homeless.
The new programme, which is otherwise known as The private Access Scheme, has come as part of the Mansfield Homelessness and Prevention Strategy and will be launched as a pilot from 1st February 2025.
‘Private landlords re often unwilling to let to people and families who are homeless, and many people are homeless and on our waiting list because they simply cannot raise the amount needed to pay a deposit for a privately rented property,’ Cllr Anne Callaghan, portfolio holder for housing at the council, said. ‘Many also struggle to pay the first rent in advance because of the way Universal Credit pays benefits in arrears.’
A report to Jill Finnesey, assistant director of housing at Mansfield District Council, highlights the extremity of homelessness in the area and demonstrates why the scheme is necessary. Researchers found that over the last three years there has been a surge in demand or temporary accommodation and social housing.
As a result, the council have had to resort to using B&Bs to house individuals and families – an issue that is injecting the majority of England.
Overall, in the Mansfield district, there are currently 38 households in interim accommodation waiting for a permanent solution and 4,598 on the housing waiting list with 173 in band one – the highest priority.
The scheme is being funded by the government’s Homelessness and Prevention Grant and will also work to check in with tenants three times in the first six months of moving into a private rented home. This is to make sure they’re managing to keep up with costs.
Cllr Callaghan added: ‘What the Private Rented Access Scheme will do is enable us to work with landlords and create successful, long-term tenancies. The kind of homeless people we want to help ranges from single people to families.
‘Ideally we would like more council homes to be built and made available to people on our list, but it takes time to build new houses and these people need homes now, not years down the line.
‘This scheme is not suitable for every homeless person or household we have on our list but if private landlords sign up to the scheme, it should help a good proportion and assist us in bringing down the number of people waiting for a council home.’
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