CITY landlords are being urged to help young people who have faced homelessness into the private rental sector by End Youth Homelessness (EYH) and Yorkshire Building Society.
EYH is a movement of grassroots charities, including St Basils in the West Midlands, who work together at a local level to end youth homelessness on a national scale.
High rents and upfront costs can make it difficult for those on low incomes to access private rented accommodation, with the costs of starting a tenancy running into thousands of pounds.
EYH has been working in partnership with Yorkshire Building Society to help homeless young people across the UK live independently.
The Rent Deposit Scheme is a joint project that is paid for through the charity partnership between Yorkshire Building Society and administered by EYH, and helps private landlords to fill vacant properties quickly and free.
An estimated 103,000 young people in the UK are homeless or at risk of homelessness and, according to latest figures, 59 young people in Worcester received some homelessness support from their local authority in 2017/18.
Gurpreet Kaur, Rent Deposit Scheme worker for St Basils, said: “Our Rent Deposit Scheme helps young people in Worcester who have faced homelessness and are now ready to live independently to gain access to the private rented sector.
“It provides landlords with a guarantee certificate in place of a traditional cash deposit. This protects the landlord from rent arrears and damage to the property.
“Young people accepted on this scheme are in, or about to enter, education, employment or training.
“Also, they will have demonstrated the ability to save for their own deposit over an agreed period of time, maintain the conditions of their tenancy, respect their neighbours, and work with ourselves to make their tenancy a lasting success.”
Each year, EYH charities provide over 30,000 homeless young people with the accommodation and support they need to fulfil their potential.
As well as funding the Rent Deposit Scheme, Yorkshire Building Society has updated its mortgage terms for landlords to enable them to offer tenancies to renters who receive benefits, such as former homeless young people.
