Hello,
The CKH Tenancy Sustainment team deal with some of the most vulnerable in our communities, who are facing some unimaginable challenges. Poverty, mental health conditions, worklessness and more can make it extremely hard for them to sustain their tenancies. Often, the behaviours these challenges lead to, such as arrears, poor property condition and hoarding, could lead to eviction, but we firmly believe that people should be given the opportunity, and vitally the support, to change their behaviours and keep their homes. This makes sense for us as a landlord, and for the wider community – making people homeless just moves them somewhere else and doesn’t help them in the long term. And, of course, ethically it is the right thing to do.
And our team really does get results. Last year they were able to support 512 residents with the one to one support they need to get to the real heart of their challenges. We visit all our homes at least once a year, and this programme of visits has made us even more aware of those residents who do not reach out for help themselves. Those very hard to reach people who often need our support more than anyone. We do not wait until their behaviour brings them to our attention by way of complaints from others or through referrals from other agencies. Our team of Neighbourhood Managers can refer residents into our tenancy sustainment team as soon as they see a decline in the condition of a home or have concerns about a resident.
Partnership working
The team also work with a wide range of partner organisations, including adult social care, mental health support, debt support and more. And we are leading this partnership work in the region. Just recently we held Peterborough’s first conference on hoarding, bringing together a wide range of agencies who support hoarders to better understand the reasons behind hoarding and the best way to offer support that really works. Fabulous feedback about the testimonies that were shared from those who had been through the support and how it had helped them to regain control of their possessions, home and lives.
Financial support
Obviously, rent arrears are often one of the main ways these residents come to our attention. When everything else in your life is a struggle, paying your rent is no longer a priority. The team work to ensure residents are getting all the benefits they are entitled to, and in the last financial year they secured:
- Discretionary housing payments for 11 residents totalling £12,390
- Severe mental impairment payments for 16 residents totalling £23,314
- PIP awards for 11 residents, of between £1,444.30 – £5,462.60 per month (in addition to a known £20,364 backdated payments)
And obtained miscellaneous funding of £12,838 for 33 residents from external sources and charities. These are significant amounts of money for these residents, which has enabled them to remove at least some of the money worries from their minds. It also means they are better placed to pay rent and arrears and keep their homes.
Support Plus
We have recently seen the end of our National Lottery funded Support Plus programme. Launched in December 2023, this targeted initiative was created to help vulnerable people facing complex life challenges. Understanding how mental health, financial strain, and employment barriers often overlap, we developed a compassionate and practical model of community support.
Our programme reflected the realities that many individuals face: living on low incomes, navigating the benefits system, and coping with growing personal pressures. By offering a holistic approach, we created a vital lifeline for those feeling overwhelmed by multiple disadvantages.
Through structured wellbeing groups, financial education workshops, and personalised one-to-one coaching, the project delivered meaningful and practical assistance. We supported individuals to gain access to support in managing mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, while also equipping them with tools to improve their financial stability. Our personalised coaching has been especially effective in helping people regain confidence, control, and a sense of direction.
‘Employment support’ was a major success. Working closely with job seekers, we have helped people strengthen their confidence, develop key skills, and identify suitable employment opportunities. As a result, we have supported 22 individuals into employment — an achievement that reflects the project’s ability to deliver real, lasting change.
I could talk for hours about the work of this area of our business. It is one that goes somewhat under the radar more often than not, but makes such an enormous impact on the lives of those it supports. Those people who some landlords might just think pose too much of a risk. But at CKH we don’t write anyone off as a lost cause! We persevere and bring together all our departments to provide the best support that works for the individual. If you are aware of anyone who could benefit from the support our team brings, please contact me.
As always, I look forward to hearing from you and working with you. Don’t forget to follow us on our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn channels, to keep up to date with all our services and events. And you can find out all about the support we offer our residents and communities on our website.
Claire Higgins MBE
Chief Executive, Cross Keys Homes