Four ways we’re helping people facing homelessness in South Wales secure private rented accommodation

A guest blog by Crisis

Our Crisis Skylight South Wales, based in Swansea, is one of our five support centres for people experiencing homelessness, directly supported by the TDS Charitable Foundation as part of our three-year partnership.

Thanks to TDS Charitable Foundation funding, we've created specialist roles in our Skylights across Britain to build relationships with private landlords and help our Crisis members (the people we work with experiencing or at immediate risk of being pushed into homelessness) secure good quality, affordable homes in the private rented sector. 

The partnership is also working to remove the barriers we know exist for many people experiencing homelessness when trying to access housing.

The scale of the homelessness problem in Swansea 

An estimated 990 people are facing homelessness in Swansea, including people sleeping rough, squatting, sofa-surfing and living in unsuitable temporary accommodation like shelters, hostels and B&Bs (Statswales.gov). A further 1,119 people are estimated to be at risk of experiencing homelessness due to factors including relationship breakdown and a lack of affordable accommodation options such as social housing (Statswales.gov). 

Like much of the UK, average rents in the private rented sector (PRS) are rising in Swansea, with only 1.2% of one-bed homes affordable at local housing allowance (housing benefit) rates.

Here are four ways our partnership with the TDS Charitable Foundation is already helping to change lives and fight homelessness in South Wales.

1. Providing specialist Housing Access support 

TDS Charitable Foundation provides funding for five Housing Access Specialist roles across England and Wales. Their job is to forge connections with local landlords and source affordable, high-quality private rented accommodation for Crisis members.

Since our partnership began in July 2024, Jo Lewis, Housing Access Specialist at Crisis Skylight South Wales, has directly supported 42 people experiencing homelessness into private rented accommodation – and prevented six more from being pushed into homelessness by helping them extend their current tenancies.

2. Building relationships with landlords and letting agents 

Crisis Skylight South Wales has developed strong working relationships with a number of letting agencies in Swansea. These have grown over the past few years as a direct result of Jo's work. Find out more about Crisis' services for landlords.

Jo has successfully linked with local letting agents who have been open-minded in considering Crisis members for housing. They offer a patient, understanding approach to tenancy management, with confidence that Crisis members are being consistently supported throughout their tenancy by the Skylight team.

Talking about one of these letting agencies, Jo said: "They are kind people who want to help. They have been to the Skylight in South Wales and they plan to volunteer with us. We work closely with them, and they encourage their landlords to work with us too. A recent example of their helpful approach was rushing through a tenancy sign-up to avoid our member having to spend another night sleeping in her car."

A recent addition to the Skylight's landlord register is moving from the student-let market to long-term tenancies. The landlord is opting for tenants suggested by the Skylight because Crisis staff have had the opportunity to ‘get to know’ members and can suggest suitable shared accommodation combinations, offer support and arrange direct Universal Credit housing cost payments. 

Relationships with letting agents are sustained by being responsive, trustworthy and maintaining regular in-person contact. We also link in with the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) in Wales and have attended and spoken at their roadshow events, helping us to spread the word about the work we do.

3. Helping members search for affordable properties 

The Housing Access Specialist team at Crisis Skylight South Wales run weekly 'Homesearch' sessions, which:

• Give Crisis members ownership and choice in their property searches

• Develop members’ skills and knowledge

• Offer clear guidance on where to search, and on the suitability and affordability of available properties

• Give members agency in ending their homelessness

  
  

Every Crisis member works with a lead worker who refers them to these sessions once necessary preparation is complete, such as benefits in place, a bank account and ID documents. 

The Housing Access Specialist will often accompany members to viewings and works to match members to available properties based on a thorough understanding of their individual needs.

4. Partnership working 

Crisis Skylight South Wales work closely with Swansea Council and The Wallich – the council's commissioned support service for people experiencing homelessness – to help Crisis members become financially stable and sustain their new homes long term. This joined-up approach ensures members are well supported from the outset, increasing the likelihood of a stable, successful tenancy and a lasting route out of homelessness.

Our Wales policy teams also connect with Jo to ensure insights into the difficulties members face feed into our responses to national inquiries and consultations, and to support our campaigning activity calling on the UK Government to restore housing benefit to cover the true cost of rent.

For questions regarding our work with TDS, please email corporatepartnerships@crisis.org.uk.