Personal Budgets and Homelessness

Author: Jonathan Tan

Alex and I started Greater Change in 2018, motivated by the stories we were hearing from clients when volunteering at Aspire Oxfordshire. The story we heard again and again was that individuals were prevented from moving out of homelessness at the final hurdle.

The particular barrier was different every time, but they all required a relatively small financial boost to overcome. David didn’t have the funds for a rent deposit. Nathalie couldn’t pay for employment training that would’ve guaranteed her an income. Lee couldn’t afford flooring and vital furnishings for his new flat.

Six years on, Greater Change has helped over 1,000 people overcome this final financial hurdle out of homelessness by providing personalised budgets and individual support. Greater Change currently operates in Greater London, Essex, Oxfordshire, and around the Southeast. Partner charities refer to us clients for whom a relatively small financial boost will have a transformative impact. These clients tell us exactly what they need to take this step out of homelessness, we listen and fund it.

• By clearing Holly’s £860 in utility arrears accrued due to a one off financial shock, we were able to stop her eviction process and prevent her from falling into homelessness.
• By funding Leigh’s rent deposit and furnishings for a privately rented flat, we were able to support him out of temporary accommodation and to enable him to have his kids round to stay.
• Rachel was given social housing but it was completely unfurnished. By funding vital furnishings for her home, Greater Change was able to ensure she didn’t fall into debt and that her move out of homelessness sustained in the long term.

Through listening to and funding what people tell us they need, our model is dignified and effective in bringing individuals out of homelessness for good or preventing them from becoming homeless in the first place.

“My experience in a way was soothing. I know that's a funny word to use, but it's because you guys allowed us to have our dignity whilst just listening and supporting us. Like we could share as much as we wanted to about our situation and we could just focus on what we needed rather than where we’re coming from. Which I felt was important because we can keep that privacy and it's also a mental reminder that you are moving on. You are not in that situation anymore and things are gonna get better. So I really appreciate how it was run.”

~ Aisha, a client of Greater Change

Through philanthropic funding and donations, we are able to match local authority funding to increase the number of people we’re able to support in the areas we operate. We are looking to expand into new areas to reach more beneficiaries across the UK and generate more evidence for the impact of personalised budgets. If you’re interested in finding out more about our model or supporting our work, please get in touch by emailing jonathan@greaterchange.co.uk.

“I’d definitely still be at the homeless accommodation if it wasn’t for Greater Change.”

~ Mel, a client of Greater Change

How Greater Change Works

Our model helps people out of homelessness in a dignified and cost effective manner.

Partner charities refer to us clients for whom a relatively small financial boost will have a transformative impact. We don’t cherry pick; we recognise that it is important to meet people where they are and will always work with them and their key workers to build a realistic plan around their ambitions.

We have rejected less than 5% of cases in our history so far and we work with the client and their support worker to agree on what will be funded.

The client has control over the process, with Greater Change using its experience and expertise to ensure that the funding will have a sustainable, transformative impact. Our model is collaborative, leveraging the specialist knowledge of local homelessness support services rather than duplicating them. This ensures clients are not passed from pillar to post between services and improves the outcomes and impact of the system as a whole.

The funding is then transferred to the partner charity who purchases the agreed goal. 6-12 months following the release of the grant, Greater Change follows up with the client and their support worker to measure its impact. We measure how the funding has changed the client’s situation across eight key metrics, including housing stability, employment and substance misuse if relevant.

Our Cost Effectiveness and Impact

The average grant size to support someone out of homelessness is £900. 

12 months after our support we find that:

• 86% of our clients had moved into and sustained stable housing
• 92.8% of our clients who had previous interactions with the criminal justice system had not re-offended.
• In total, our collaboration with local authorities across England so far has saved the public purse over £35 million pounds.