Trial scheme to provide more financial support for people who are homeless

We’re one of 54 organisations involved in government’s Test & Learn programme

We’re part of a government trial looking into the effects of giving people who are homeless more financial support.

It’s a randomised controlled trial which compares outcomes from people who receive financial support via personalised budgets with those from an otherwise identical group who don’t. Porchlight is one of 54 organisations involved.

The trial is being funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and led by the Centre for Homelessness Impact.

How the trial works

The trial allows Porchlight and other organisations to provide financial support for people they’re working with.

We can nominate clients for financial assistance. If someone is successful, we’ll work with them to develop a personalised budget.

If they’re successful, it can be spent as they wish – on a rent deposit, furnishings for a new home, paying off debt, counselling or anything else they need. Payments are made by Porchlight, which avoids our clients’ benefits being stopped due to a cash influx.

We’ve been using this trial to support people who are living in temporary accommodation, which has reached a breaking point here in Kent. Although it prevents people from ending up on the streets, temporary accommodation is not a solution to homelessness.

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What we’re seeing

So far, 34 people supported by Porchlight have successfully applied for money. We are still helping others to apply.

“The money has been transformational,” says homelessness services manager Sue Graham. “It’s allowed people whose situations were stagnant to begin moving forward with their lives.

“For example, it allowed one client to clear longstanding debt arrears. As a result, he’s been able to apply for a housing association property and continue rebuilding his life.

“We’ve helped others to furnish homes, attend training courses to improve their job prospects, paid for therapy – having no rules around what it needs to be spent on has been so helpful.

“We have an existing welfare fund for clients – made possible by our supporters – which can pay for smaller things like hot drinks and food, sleeping bags, clothes, and in some cases emergency accommodation and rent deposits. So having larger sums from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been game changing.”

New solutions are needed

“This is an important trial and we’re excited to be part of it,” says Porchlight chief executive Tom Neumark.

“Each person’s journey into homelessness is different, so it makes sense to give them the means to rebuild their life in a way that works for them is so important. This trial is allowing people to do that and, from what we can see, it’s working.

“Ultimately, homelessness is rising and new solutions are needed to tackle it. I hope this trial continues to be successful and is something that can be implemented on a national scale in the future.”

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Part of a larger study

This is part of a larger three-year Test & Learn programme run by the Centre for Homelessness Impact and commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The aim is to explore new ways of supporting people who are experiencing homelessness or preventing it from happening to them altogether. It could enable better policy-making in the future and enable resources to be better targeted to
support more people more effectively.

The results from the personalised budgets trial will be evaluated by King's College London, with interim findings expected in Autumn 2025.

You can find out more about the trial on the Centre for Homelessness Impact’s website.

It’s allowed people who had nothing to start over in homes of their own.

A woman we’re supporting was feeling anxious about accepting accommodation she couldn’t afford to furnish.

She was living in a Porchlight property, having been evicted from her former home so the landlord could sell it. She wanted a place of her own but didn’t have the funds to leave us.

Being awarded the money via the Test & Learn trial enabled her to accept the council home knowing it could be transformed into somewhere safe and comfortable for her to live. It reduced her anxiety about starting over.

It paid for a bed, TV, furniture, laminate flooring, carpets, washing machine and other kitchen essentials. Her rent, water bill, and internet were also paid upfront, providing her with financial stability and peace of mind.

Having somewhere safe, well-equipped and welcoming to live means she’s now rebuilding her confidence and feeling more optimistic about the future.

It’s also put people on the path to employment.

One man we’re supporting wants to get into event crew stage work. The Test & Learn trial allowed him to take a qualification about working at height on ropes. It also paid for the equipment he needed to do it, along with accommodation and food while he was taking the course.

We’re delighted to say he’s passed and is one step closer to starting a new career. His dream is to help set up stages for concerts and other large-scale events.