A SmartMove client, pleased to move into his new home. © Crisis.
The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation provided a grant of £10,000 towards the Crisis SmartMove project in 2007/08.
Crisis SmartMove is a nationwide scheme that assists single homeless and vulnerably-housed people with comprehensive housing advice, rent deposit guarantees and tenancy support, enabling them to access good quality accommodation in the private rented sector. The Crisis SmartMove project was established in 1997, and is now delivered through a network of 25 local partner organisations around the country.
People can become homeless for many reasons, including unemployment, relationship breakdown, mental health problems, substance misuse or any combination of these factors. Finding a way out is extremely difficult. Homelessness can be an incredibly damaging experience; eroding confidence and skills and creating numerous barriers that block the way back to an independent and fulfilling life.
Crisis SmartMove offers a rent deposit guarantee that helps homeless people without recourse to other forms of housing provision to access the private rented market. SmartMove staff and volunteers also provide the support that homeless people need to live independently in their new accommodation, maintain their tenancies and become self-sufficient.
During the first three months of 2008, the Crisis SmartMove Network was able to help 1,588 people with comprehensive housing advice and 275 of these were helped into long-term accommodation.