Around two thirds of our Clients are renting their homes, either privately or from a council or housing association.
Disrepair (incl. damp and mould) was the most commonly seen issue for clients in both private and HA properties.
For council tenants, suitability of accommodation was the biggest problem.
We currently have 3 separate funded projects:
HPP (Homelessness Prevention Project) funded by the National Lottery Community Fund
Homelessness Prevention in Tunbridge Wells Borough funded by The Hollick Family Foundation
Homelessness Prevention funded by The Nationwide Foundation
All of these look at early intervention to prevent cases progressing to court and/or eviction. Our advisers work with Clients on income maximization and budgeting, and we also have close working relationships with housing teams at our local authorities.
We advocate for fairer systems through networking and our R&C work:
Elizabeth reached out to us through the Kent Advice Hub after receiving an eviction notice from her Housing Association. She was in crisis, dealing with the financial impact of a relationship breakdown and grieving the recent loss of her mother. Her Universal Credit housing element no longer covered the full rent and she was struggling to make up the shortfall.
We placed Elizabeth into a 60-day Breathing Space to give her some protection whilst our homelessness prevention adviser helped her to rebalance her budget and negotiate with her Housing Association.
When court action became necessary to prevent eviction, our Legal Aid team stepped in and successfully secured Elizabeth’s accommodation.
Elizabeth’s journey highlights how Citizens Advice North & West Kent offers joined-up support, from early intervention to legal representation, helping people stay in their homes and build a stable future
We are keen to work with community partners to identify and support local people at an earlier stage, before they reach crisis point.
If you are a support organisation, you may see the warning signs before your client does.
With the client’s permission, you can make a direct referral to our Homelessness Prevention Project using ReferKent – a free online secure referral system supporting partnership working across Kent. We will then make contact with your client to offer support.
To join ReferKent, free of charge, visit the Kent County Council website and search for ‘ReferKent’.