• Project name: C~urb Private Sector Leasing
• Lead organisation: C~urb PSL
• Partner organisation: The City of Edinburgh Council

Statement of support

C~urb PSL, an accredited letting agent and part of the Link group of companies (parented by social landlord Link Group), operates to relieve homelessness in Edinburgh through the innovative management of the Private Sector Leasing (PSL) scheme on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council.

The City of Edinburgh currently has a reported population of around 558,700 and UN strategists forecast by 2030 this will increase by a further 4.5 per cent to a predicted 585,000. This follows a reported 10.2 per cent rise in the population in Edinburgh over 10 years prior to 2021 compared to 3.4 per cent increase nationally. The City of Edinburgh Council reported they received 3,671 homelessness applications in the year to 30 September 2023 in Edinburgh and a housing emergency was declared by the council in November 2024. 

In 2020 the City of Edinburgh Council commissioned C~urb PSL to manage the PSL service, which leases properties from the private rented sector (PRS), to work in partnership with private landlords and the council to provide suitable, safe accommodation immediately for families and households assessed as homeless, then assisting them to access positive long term housing destinations.

C~urb PSL have continually grown and developed the service, and across 2023/24, has averaged a portfolio of 1,790 tenancies, and received on average 52 new referrals a month for households requiring rapid access to accommodation due to homelessness. From these referrals C~urb PSL successfully created 500 new tenancies, providing safe, secure, self-contained accommodation for people who would otherwise be in less suitable B&B accommodation, rough sleeping, or sofa surfing. 

Referrals made by the council to C~urb PSL are responded to within 30 minutes and accommodation provided within 24 hours to accommodate the fast paced and traumatic impact of homelessness.

The core aim of PSL is supporting tenants to achieve positive outcomes and future tenancy sustainment, a positive tenancy outcome where a household moves into stable accommodation, such as social housing, the PRS, or moving in with family or friends. In 2023/24, 389 households were supported at the end of their PSL tenancy into a positive move-on destination, including 306 into permanent social housing. 

To achieve these positive outcomes, C~urb PSL partners with a Link Group subsidiary LinkLiving, and funds a dedicated Housing Support Service and Employability Support Service to offer tenants individual assessments and tailored support. Tenants are encouraged to make use of the service, which includes advice on employability support, calculating and applying for benefits, debt advice, mental health support, and foodbank and fuel voucher referrals. 

Tenants receive a tenancy visit within the first seven days of their tenancy to check that they are settling in, followed by regular tenancy visits to ensure they are managing their tenancy well and are in receipt of required support to find long-term housing. 

To ensure there is quality housing available, C~urb PSL runs year-round advertising – including social media, print, and outdoor adverts – to position PSL as a viable option for landlords and investors. Landlords will enter an initial term of three or five years and receive guaranteed rent, tenant damage cover, along with a host of other benefits in return.

PSL properties must meet the same standards as those in the PRS, including the Scottish government’s Repairing Standard. C~urb PSL also has an in-house ISO accredited maintenance service, ensuring that properties remain compliant and in good repair.  

To achieve high levels of customer service to both landlords and tenants, C~urb PSL has 58 members of staff working solely on PSL across six teams, plus additional support staff working throughout Link Group, which has over 60 years of experience as a social landlord.  

Outcomes and achievements

In 2023/24:

• 500 households entered safe, secure accommodation within 24 hours of referral  
• 413 households moved on to positive destinations (including PRS and social housing) 
• 306 households moved into permanent social housing  
• C~urb PSL maintained an average portfolio of 1,840 PSL properties.

Quarter 1 - 2024/25 stats show an average increase across the above of 8.9 per cent.

In the same period across 2023/24 LinkLiving supported 541 PSL tenants with:  

• 445 tenants received tailored support from LinkLiving housing support officer 
• 96 tenants received tailored support from LinkLiving employability support officer.  

PSL tenants were supported with: 

• 105 foodbank referrals  
• 504 benefit advice and calculations, applications, appeals                      
• 189 fuel vouchers referrals       
• 55 grant applications and awards  
• 57 moving on advice contacts  
• 71 tenancy issues addressed  
• Eight debt advice and support contacts  
• 25 tenants referred on to mental health services  
• 26 education. 

“I honestly can’t stress enough that the lifeline you guys have offered me has saved my wellbeing so much over these last few months. This has all worked out beyond what I could have hoped for in this. I feel very fortunate to have so many amazing people to give me their time and offer such services.” – PSL tenant 

• Project name: Rapid rehousing approach to ending homelessness
• Lead organisation: Wheatley Group
• Partner organisations: Glasgow City Council, City of Edinburgh Council, HSCP, Rock Trust

Statement of support

Wheatley Group is Scotland’s leading housing, care and property-management group. Group subsidiaries are united by a common commitment to excellence in all they do and a joint mission in 'Making Homes and Lives Better' for the people they work for and the communities in which they live.

The last year has seen a significant change in homelessness in our communities with the declaration of a housing emergency declared by Scottish government in May.

Ending homelessness has always been a key priority for Wheatley Group and their partners. It is an issue that affects all communities and takes various forms across the diverse landscapes that Wheatley operates. It has become more acute in the last 12 months with over 15,000 households in temporary accommodation across Scotland and increasing numbers of people presenting as homeless.  

Through effective partnership working Wheatley has helped almost 2,500 homeless people across Scotland put a roof over their heads in the last 12 months and provided access to bespoke wraparound supports to make a house a home and offer life changing opportunities for people who have experienced homelessness.

The past year Wheatley has responded to the declaration of national housing emergency and changed its approaches to meet local needs while delivering excellent outcomes for customers.

Wheatley first worked with Glasgow City Council in 2020 to launch a personalised service for homeless customers matching them to properties. Over the last year this has developed and transformed the customer experience.

This ensured Wheatley is genuinely adopting a rapid rehousing model, with 61 per cent of homeless applicants housed within six weeks during 2023/4. It achieved this against a backdrop of reduced turnover and a time when local authorities across Scotland are reporting an average duration in temporary accommodation of 216 days. 

Utilising the learning and success from Glasgow, in January 2024, as part of the response to the housing emergency Wheatley worked in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council to launch matching to ensure homeless families in unsuitable temporary accommodation are moved into permanent accommodation as quickly as possible.  While this is a newer project and Wheatley is still evaluating the impact – it is already seeing significant results, with 88 per cent of customers being rehoused within six weeks of Wheatley receiving the referral.

One customer said:

• "I have been in homelessness for two years, and when I got the call to see the house, it was perfect. it was lower floor, as I struggled with stairs, has a garden and the house is perfect for me and my family to make a fresh start. Thank you Wheatley Group." (May 2024)

While matching has been replicated in other areas in the last year, Wheatley has also reviewed its approach to Housing First in Glasgow through working with the HSCP and the Rock Trust to develop and implement Glasgow’s first Housing First for Youth model. This has built on the success of the already established housing first model in Glasgow where Wheatley Group has housed around 90 per cent of all Housing First customers in the area.

Wheatley knew that working with young people who were care experienced, who had already lived through significant trauma and had never had their own home, would require a different approach to adults in Housing First. 

Following the launch of the new project in August 2023, Wheatley Group is currently the sole housing provider for young people who have been housed. A specialist team in Wheatley Group work closely with the Rock trust and HSCP to match young people to properties considering their needs and the wider community.

Outcomes and achievements

• Almost 2,500 homeless applicants housed in the last year
• Matching customers in Glasgow now showing 61 per cent of applicants rehoused within six weeks of Wheatley receiving the referral compared to 2019 when only three per cent of applicants were rehoused within six weeks.
• Launching matching in Edinburgh in January and seeing 88 per cent of applicants being rehoused within six weeks of Wheatley receiving the referral
• Being part of Glasgow’s first Housing First for Youth project and to date being the sole housing provider providing eight homes
• Maintaining tenancy sustainment for homeless households over 91 per cent across group
• Around a third of customers who have received Home Comforts wraparound support have experienced homelessness, over 1,200 customers were supported by this service during 2023/24. Home Comfort service is where unwanted pieces of furniture are cleaned and made as good as new. Then passed to tenants who need it most.

• Project name: Homes for Good - Creating Homes for People who need them
• Lead organisation: Homes for Good

Statement of support

Homes for Good (HFG) is Scotland's first social enterprise letting agency and property developer. They have also created their own housing portfolio through raising investment, buying and renovating dilapidated property, furnishing them and letting them to people at risk of homelessness or on low-income with limited housing choice. They provide quality homes at around local housing allowance rates, providing an alternative to social housing waiting lists and homelessness.

Since 2014, Homes for Good has raised £23 million in social investment from a variety of investors including Charity Bank, Big Issue Invest, Big Society Capital, Social and Sustainable Capital and Glasgow Credit Union, and has bought and developed over 350 homes. HFG plans to raise a further £20 million over the next four years to reach a portfolio of 500 owned homes.

These will be across the West of Scotland, with a focus on Glasgow, which is where it sees the most acute need. Lack of social housing has led low-income households to seek housing in the private rented sector. However, the increasing cost of private housing has prevented many from accessing affordable, good-quality homes, directly contributing to increasing homelessness. Low-income tenants particularly struggle with affordability, insecurity of tenure, and poor property conditions in the private rented sector. Furthermore, most private landlords are reluctant to rent to people receiving any kind of state benefits, they are often considered as ‘high risk’, with concerns about rent arrears and anti-social behaviour.

In 2012, HFG recognised the problem and opportunity within this, deciding to create a portfolio of affordable, high-quality homes that provide a real alternative to poor quality, limited choice at the lower end of the private rented sector. As well as managing these properties, the organisation also offers flexible and personalised support to its tenants with a wide range of needs, including mental health, homelessness, and relationship breakdowns.

For people with more complex needs, it also leases properties to partner organisations such as the Simon Community, Right There, TARA (rescuing women from sex trafficking), Lodging House Mission and MEARS (working with asylum seekers) HFG provides interior designed, fully furnished homes, along with tenancy support which focusses on building responsive and supportive relationships with its tenants. They want their tenants to feel happy and settled in their home, and then support them to flourish in their lives. It has also developed a specialist interior design approach, Love Home. Designers work with tenants at the start of or during their tenancy, to help them create homes they want to live in. Support ranges from full room makeovers to simply adding a few accessories, or through creating artwork.

Since 2014, through raising investment at scale, and through its unique approach, Homes for Good has created significant impact for people in acute housing need and in preventing repeat homelessness: A snapshot of who HFG tenants are:

• 51 per cent receive state benefits to cover housing costs
• 90 per cent are on low incomes, either wholly benefit dependent or in low paid employment
• 41 per cent of tenants were homeless immediately prior to moving into a HFG home
• 24 per cent tenants have diagnosed mental illness
• 42 per cent tenants have their HFG home as their first home. Average tenancy lengths are just under four years, approx 30 per cent higher than PRS average (at 2022) 98.5 per cent rent collected, with arrears under two per cent.

No-one has been evicted from a HFG tenancy for rent arrears. This model, raising social investment to create a social tenure within the private rented sector has been pioneered by HFG since 2014, leading to other UK organisations adopting the approach. HFG has supported and worked alongside other organisations, such as The Simon Community Scotland and Northern Ireland, and SWIM Enterprises, London to replicate the approach, and worked closely with Social and Sustainable Capital to design and create its £75 million housing fund.

Outcomes and achievements

Since 2014, Homes for Good has raised over £20 million in social investment to create a portfolio of over 350 high quality homes for people at risk of homelessness or in acute housing need.

Properties are bought, renovated, interior designed, fully furnished, and let at around local housing allowance rate. Over 90 per cent of HFG tenants are in receipt of benefits or in low income employment, with 41 per cent of tenants having experienced homelessness immediately prior to moving into their tenancy.

Homes for Good's unique combination of acquisition, renovation, interior design, furnishing and flexible tenancy support has resulted in higher than PRS average tenancy lengths, and less than two per cent arrears, with a strong focus on tenancy sustainment and prevention of repeat homelessness. The model has been adopted and replicated by other organisations in Scotland and across the UK, including Birmingham and London.