Partnership Praised For Joined-Up Approach To Reducing Homelessness

A partnership between the NHS and Peabody has been praised by London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime for its joined-up approach to reducing homelessness and preventing repeated readmissions to hospital. The Peabody run service works to ensure homeless people who are medically fit to be discharged from hospital don’t go back onto the streets, providing short-term accommodation and ongoing wide-ranging support. As well as helping people after a crisis, protecting them from harm and boosting wellbeing, the service also works to free up hospital bed spaces, reduces pressure on wards and saves the NHS money through reduced readmissions. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/partnership-praised-for-joined-up-approach-to-reducing-homelessness/

Peabody To Scrap Fixed-Term Tenancies

Peabody, which owns around 56,000 homes across London and the South East, has announced it will stop issuing fixed-term tenancies to new general needs tenants. The move comes after 92,000-home landlord L&Q revealed plans to ditch fixed-term arrangements for tenants in September last year. L&Q has already begun the process of converting its 8,500 existing fixed-term tenants onto open-ended tenancies. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/peabody-to-scrap-fixed-term-tenancies-60332?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

More Housing Associations Consider Ditching Fixed-Term Tenancies

London’s largest housing association announced last week that it would offer lifetime tenancies to all its residents, scrapping fixed-term tenancies across its stock. Housing associations were given the option to offer fixed-term tenancies under the Localism Act in 2012, replacing the previous position where all tenancies in the social housing sector had been for life. Most housing associations offer both life and fixed-term tenancies – typically of five years. Brendan Sarsfield, chief executive of Peabody, told Inside Housing that his association was “looking at the issue”. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/more-housing-associations-consider-ditching-fixed-term-tenancies-58315?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Social Landlords Fund Research Into Universal Credit

A London council has commissioned independent research into the effects of Universal Credit on social housing tenants. Peabody Trust, Family Mosaic and Croydon Council have backed the council’s decision to commission research on the impact of Universal Credit (UC) and will all pay towards the costs. Labour-led Southwark Council said the full roll-out of Universal Credit in some parts of the borough, coupled with changes made through the Housing and Planning Act, has represented “an onslaught on social housing – and on council tenants in particular”. The research will cost £56,250, with Peabody, Family Mosaic and Croydon Council contributing £22,500. The Smith Institute has been commissioned to carry out the research. Read more on Inside Housing.

Historic Trust Landlords Seek Legal Advice on Right to Buy

Four housing associations established by Victorian philanthropists have taken legal advice on the government’s proposed Right to Buy extension and have ‘not ruled out a challenge’.  Guinness Housing, the Peabody Trust, Affinity Sutton and Southern Housing met recently with top housing lawyers to understand how the policy would affect their historic charitable stock. The four organisations, which together own around 180,000 homes, were all established by philanthropists who invested their fortunes to help house poor residents of London. The organisations have specific governing instruments, with Peabody incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1948 stipulating that it should work solely in London for the relief of poverty. Read more on Inside Housing.

Landlord Body Launched To Combat Domestic Abuse

The first significant landlord-led initiative to tackle domestic abuse among social housing tenants will launch next week. The Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) is a partnership between 27,000-home Peabody, 30,000-home Gentoo and national campaign group Standing Together Against Violence. The alliance aims to improve standards, awareness and training on domestic abuse for social landlords. It is currently drafting an accreditation process for members.  The launch follows confirmation last week that every social landlord in Wales now has a domestic abuse policy in place for tenants and staff.  Read more on Inside Housing.