New website to help prevent homelessness in Caerphilly borough

Caerphilly County Borough Council has launched a new website which aims to help prevent homelessness.

The Caerphilly Keys website provides information for private landlords on a scheme which matches people to suitable properties and then offers support to both the tenant and landlord to sustain the tenancy.  The service is led by the council’s Housing Solutions team and is provided free of charge, including viewings and quarterly monitoring visits.

Having recently celebrated its third anniversary and with over 100 properties registered with the scheme, the project has helped many families and individuals who would otherwise have found themselves homeless.  This has included sourcing 15 properties during the height of the pandemic to move homeless clients from temporary accommodation into long term private rentals.

The Caerphilly Homes team also works in partnership with DWP, thanks to a grant through its Flexible Support Fund, to provide enhanced support for tenants.  This includes working with local Job Centres and a dedicated Partnership Manager to help sustain tenancies, increase training, education and employment opportunities, reduce poverty and increase the financial capacity of households by setting up direct payments to landlords to prevent rent arrears.

Cllr Lisa Phipps, the council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said “Caerphilly Keys is an innovative project and the first of its kind to be run by a Welsh local authority.  It’s impact on tackling and preventing homelessness has been significant.

I’m excited to see the launch of this new website, which provides a portal for both current and prospective landlords to find out more about the scheme and the benefits it offers them, as well as providing information for tenants.”

The Caerphilly Keys website can be found at www.caerphillykeys.co.uk.  For more information contact the team directly on 01443 873564 or by emailing keys@caerphilly.gov.uk
Source: https://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/News/News-Bulletin/October-2021/New-website-to-help-prevent-homelessness-in-Caerph