Our projects on housing rights
Housing rights are a critical issue in England and Wales, and our projects are aimed at increasing access to justice and public legal education in this area. Our projects focus on providing information, advice, and support to renters and tenants facing issues such as eviction, disrepair, and discrimination. They also work to raise awareness of housing rights and to empower individuals to assert their rights effectively. Our projects aim to ensure that everyone has access to safe, secure, and affordable housing, and that no one is unfairly disadvantaged or marginalised by the housing system.
Supporting private renters during the cost of living crisis
This project aims to support vulnerable groups in the private rental sector in London who are struggling to make ends meet due to the cost of living crisis. We will conduct an online consultation to identify and understand the key challenges vulnerable groups face. We will then deliver four public legal education programmes, four strategic events, four in-person workshops, and create/update information resources to help people understand their legal rights and increase the capacity of community groups to influence local/national housing policies and practices. Thanks to Trust for London for funding this project.
Improving access to information and understanding of the legal rights of Londoners living in temporary accommodation
This two-year project seeks to improve access to information and understanding of the legal rights of Londoners living in temporary accommodation. We will conduct an online consultation to understand the key challenges, deliver two public legal education programmes, and organise two specialist follow-up sessions in partnership with the Public Interest Law Centre. We will also review existing information resources and create a summary of reliable, up-to-date information on this topic. Thanks to the Trust for London and the Oak Foundation for funding this work.
Public legal education on housing and homelessness
This programme continued our successful 'Fighting precarious housing programme' to support community organisations working directly with people experiencing housing problems. It comprised three six-session-long courses on housing rights and four strategic forums for a range of participants to discuss strategic and policy approaches towards housing justice. Participants were able to benefit from updated and new public legal information resources, including videos and podcasts on a range of housing law issues. The courses were aimed at refugees, vulnerable women, and Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups. The programme improved knowledge and confidence, with 97% of respondents saying the course provided them with the next steps they might take to help a person with their housing and homelessness issues. 88% of respondents felt confident in helping people with their housing problems after the course. This project ran from October 2020 to November 2022. Thank you to Trust for London for funding this work.
Fighting precarious housing situations
This two-year programme supported small and medium-sized community organisations that work directly with people experiencing housing problems. The programme consisted of three six-session-long courses on housing rights for community and grassroots organisations. These were supplemented by four strategic forums for a range of participants to discuss strategic and policy approaches towards housing justice. Sixty-seven participants from 41 community organisations were reached. Between them, they had an indirect reach of 11,652 people facing housing and homelessness issues. Testimonies from participants were positive, with many saying that the courses were well-structured and informative. The forums were also well attended, generating positive feedback and building connections between existing initiatives. Thanks to Trust for London for funding this work.