Public legal education on housing and homelessness 2020-2022

This programme was a continuation of our successful Fighting precarious housing programme, which ended in December 2020. Both programmes allowed us to support community organisations working directly with people experiencing housing problems. We are grateful to the Trust for London for funding this work.

The programme was made up of 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 also able to benefit from our updated and new public legal information resources on a range of housing law issues, developed specifically for this project. 

Housing rights courses

Our courses were aimed at three specific groups, identified at the start of the programme by consulting with practitioners and through research into housing issues in London. They were refugees, vulnerable women and BAME groups. 

The first course for refugees was completed in July 2021. The second course for vulnerable women was completed in December 2021. The third course for Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities was completed in May 2022. 

The courses consisted of six sessions:

  • The basics of tenancies and other housing arrangements
  • Benefits and housing
  • Dealing with disrepairs
  • Dealing with section 21 evictions 
  • Dealing with local authorities in the context of homelessness
  • Living in temporary accommodation

Public legal information on housing rights

We also updated our existing housing rights information guides and developed some new resources too. Our online housing guides were viewed 215,605 times over October 2021 - October 2021. In addition, we developed an information resource on How to best support people who are threatened with homelessness or who are homeless. 

We created seven new housing rights videos over the course of the grant which were viewed approximately 10,000 times. We also created seven podcasts (six podcasts are on various aspects of campaigning for housing rights and one is on working with councillors and MPs). 

Strategic forums

As part of the project we also delivered four online community forums focusing on key issues affecting our groups including the intersections between health, homelessness and vulnerability; Right to Rent; and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

The first strategic forum on homelessness vulnerability assessments brought together intermediaries from the legal and health sectors to better understand each others’ roles and ways in which they can work together to effectively support homeless people with complex medical needs. It provided space for key community groups to share strategies to advocate on behalf of homelessness clients, particularly those with health vulnerabilities. As a result:

  • 100% of participants reported feeling more confident to challenge an unfair homelessness decision. 
  • 64% of participants said that they found hearing experiences of community groups in dealing with councils very useful.
  • 64% of participants found the exercise of practising writing vulnerability letters very useful.

“The report of a professional expert such as a doctor is very important. Asking the right questions when requesting a report from the professional can be very beneficial to receiving a report that will effectively support the client’s application. Also that it can be challenging to get the professional to actually produce the report in a timely manner needed for the application.”

The second strategic forum on homelessness vulnerability assessments helped shed light on a widespread, harmful practice of outsourcing homelessness assessments, leading to unfair decisions especially for more vulnerable applicants. By highlighting the experience of Islington Council, the forum explored how councils can change their existing practices towards fairer assessments.  

A poll conducted during the event highlighted that very few participants were aware of outsourcing practices within their council before joining the discussion. Feedback from the session suggested that hearing about the direct experience of council officers around conducting assessments in-house was highly valued.

Our third strategic forum was delivered in partnership with the Public Interest Law Centre and explored the impact of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 on survivors of domestic abuse and their access to safe housing. 

Our fourth strategic forum was delivered in partnership with the Refugee Council. This forum explored most recent policy updates such as the impact of digitalisation of the Right to rent checks, barriers to accessing private rented sector accommodation and the legal challenges related to the Right to rent policy.

The Forum also acted as a launch of our two new resources, A survival guide to starting a tenancy and right to rent checks and a short video in Arabic How to start a tenancy without being treated unfairly

The impact we made

We reached 69 participants from 58 community organisations. 

  • Across all three courses we saw a difference in Knowledge at 12% and a difference in Confidence at 41%.
  • 97% of respondents said the course provided them with the next steps they might take to help a person with their housing & homelessness issues.
  • 88% of respondents after the course felt confident in helping people with their housing problems.

“The training gave us more knowledge, and more understanding, more confidence to help others”

“Prior to the course I was fearful of legal options available; also thought once given notice one has to move out!”

“The course helped me with gathering information to then refer on to specialist advice. I have more confidence to liaise with the different organisations on a tenant's behalf. And having more confidence to be a “go between” for the tenant and the council. That's something that I've done more so.”

“The course has given me the skills to talk people through different situations and also be able to point them in the direction of appropriate help.”

”There are many more options available to people than I had realised before. Equally there are many barriers in the law that I hadn't anticipated before, which again is helpful to know about so I can be best prepared for when they do arise.”

“I feel that there are a host of legal protections that I can cite, particularly in cases of damp and mould. I have felt before like I was flailing about in the dark with this - not so now.”

Thank you to Trust for London for funding this work.

Last edited in December 2022.