Table 1 Outline of participant organisations

Housing Association

• Community-based Housing Association, providing social rented housing and operating a subsidiary regeneration organisation which focuses on employment and community development. Aims to provide affordable housing in the social rented sector (SRS) to low income households with a variety of needs, as well as contributing to community sustainability and regeneration through non-housing activities. Owns and manages around 5500 properties.

Letting Agency

• Social enterprise letting agency which manages property for private rented sector (PRS) landlords. Combined with investment arm which purchases its own property and rents it, through the letting agency arm. Social mission to provide high quality housing in the PRS to vulnerable households. Provides tenancy support service, funded from service charge income. Manages around 250 properties on behalf of private landlords and owns a further 200.

Rent Deposit Schemes

• Voluntary sector organisation running two Rent Deposit Schemes (RDS), which facilitate access to the PRS for households at risk of homelessness. Provides deposit guarantee to enable vulnerable households without savings to access PRS tenancies, as well as a level of tenancy support over the first year of the tenancy. Tenants are expected to save up their deposit over the first year of their tenancy instead of being asked to provide it up-front, before their tenancy begins. Combined, the two schemes support around 100 people into tenancies each year.