Offering a property to someone who has experienced homelessness is not just about providing walls and a roof, it’s about helping people to create a home and furniture and flooring is a vital part of this.

Evidence shows that buying essential items for a property can push people moving away from homelessness into greater financial hardship – and put their tenancy at risk as a result.  Moreover, going without basic items such as carpets, beds and white goods negatively impacts on tenants’ wellbeing, and makes them more likely to abandon a property.

Our free online workshop will explore the social impact argument and business case around Homes for Cathy Commitment #7 ‘to ensure that properties offered to homeless people are ready to move into’, with guest speakers Diane Dakers, Innovation & Product Development Manager and Paul Aitkin, Group Commercial Manager, from Karbon Homes and Claire Donovan, Head of Policy, Research & Campaigns from End Furniture Poverty.

About End Furniture Poverty

End Furniture Poverty is the campaigning arm of FRC Group, working to improve understanding of furniture poverty and raise awareness about the solutions to it, in order to ensure everyone has access to the essential items they need to lead a secure life.  The organisation has conducted extensive research around the financial and social impact of poverty and material deprivation and is campaigning for social housing providers to consider provision of furnished tenancies schemes.  More recently, EFP has explored the impact of flooring – or lack of – in social tenancies, particularly in light of the fact that few grant-giving schemes provide it.

About Karbon

Karbon is a housing association based in North East England and Yorkshire, with 30,000 homes, operating in regions of high deprivation.  Having provided furniture packs to customers for a number of years, the association recognised the social impact of tenants not having the essential items needed to set up a home.  In order to gain a better understanding of the value of furniture provision for customers, Karbon recently undertook a project to evaluate and review its existing offering.  Following extensive customer research, the association has launched a new service: Karbon Home Comforts Furniture Rental Scheme.  Managed internally, the new scheme focuses on quality and safety and higher value items, with close working between teams ensuring that both customers and staff have a clear understanding of how and when to access it.

Register for your free place by completing the form below.