The Printing Charity – Case Studies: Paul
For a number of years, Paul has lived in rented accommodation provided by a local housing association. When the printing company he works for relocated recently, he needed to find alternative living accommodation.
As he enjoys his job, Paul wanted to continue working for the company. This meant having to move out of his existing supported housing into independent accommodation. For anyone on a relatively low wage and with no savings, raising the required deposit for a flat in the private rental sector is difficult.
Paul was lucky to be offered a flat in the private sector, with the rent deposit bond paid by SmartMove. This is a nationwide rent deposit guarantee scheme set up to help people living on low wages or benefits to access good quality accommodation in the private sector.
To secure the property, however, Paul had to pay one month’s rent in advance, in addition to the bond guaranteed by SmartMove. He applied to the Social Fund run by Jobcentre Plus for the money but was turned down.
A housing support worker contacted the Printers’ Charitable Corporation (PCC) on his behalf and his application for a one-off grant was successful. Paul says: “Flats through SmartMove come up rarely. Thanks to the PCC, I didn’t miss out when one did and I’m now happily settled in my new home.”