A typical deposit scheme...

Background

Smartshire is a large valley at the foot of a range of hills in the south west of England. A deposit scheme opened there in 1998 to meet the needs of homeless people. The Smartshire scheme is operated from a large, newly converted building that used to be a granary, and is light and airy. The building is close to town and easily accessible to clients.

The Smartshire scheme

The Smartshire scheme is made up of a team of four dedicated and experienced project staff; a project worker, a landlord liaison officer and two tenancy support workers.

Last year, nearly 300 people applied to the scheme for help with their housing needs. 128 people were supported and moved into housing and 89 guarantees were signed. All other clients were offered appointments and received housing advice.

Staff are now working with 30 landlords. The scheme provides them with a legal guarantee, advice on their rights and on any new legislation or regulations affecting them.

Smartshire's clients

The scheme accepts clients referred to them from other agencies and also operates a drop-in day once a month at their office and in a nearby town, to interview new clients. The Smartshire scheme has excellent relationships with outside agencies and this helps ensure appropriate referrals are made. Most referrals are from the Smartshire Housing Advice Centre. Probation also make referrals although they have their own tenancy support system. If the scheme is unable to work with a client, they are referred on to other agencies.

Clients are only refused assistance if their support needs are considered too high. There are several other organisations locally that are able to handle clients with intense support needs, including mental health and drug misuse.

Housing clients

Clients are encouraged to look for properties themselves and to assist this the Smartshire scheme has a notice board up with details of current landlords and any vacancies. The scheme carries out property inspections, draws up inventories and arranges for gas and safety checks to be done. It also help clients sort out their benefits and ensure the paper work is correct. The scheme has an arrangement with the housing benefit department who fast-track applications from all clients from the Smartshire deposit scheme.

The scheme carries out a post-tenancy visit shortly after tenants have moved in and a leaflet is placed on the inside of the front door with details of important contacts locally.

Other services for clients

The Smartshire scheme has a successful savings-scheme run in partnership with the local credit union, and many clients are able to save £10 a month. After they have saved half their deposit amount, this amount is matched by a local charity and clients are able to pay their landlord a full deposit.

The scheme has a strong emphasis on user involvement and clients are actively involved at every stage from identifying their own needs to affecting the future direction of the charity. User involvement is integral to service provision and leads to empowerment in clients and instilling a feeling of ownership in accommodation, right form the start. It keeps clients motivated and moving forward, developing life skills and ensuring they continue to feel they have something to give and are part of the community.

Clients are encouraged to look at available training and work opportunities and the Smartshire scheme is looking into the possibility of working with Smartshire College to provide tailored courses – for example, in painting and decorating - with accreditation to clients.