Brent Private Tenants' Rights Group
Jacky
Peacock
Executive Director
Mission
Our Housing Advice Centre is funded through a Legal Services Commission contract which runs at a substantial loss. The gap is set to increase from April 13 with reductions in fees and the scope of legal aid .Having failed to get sufficient funding to plug the gap from traditional sources, we are now planning to start charging for legal advice and representation. We aim to charge those who can afford to pay within our existing structure, rather than setting up a separate Legal Enterprise Company as some other agencies are doing.We have plans to do a door-to-door delivery of a letter to neighbouring high value area (West Hampstead) where there are a lot of high income private renters, and could benefit from guidance re branding, style, content, etc. We haven't begun to get to grips with e-marketing and we are not even sure where to start.If this is something you may be able to help with could you get in touch please?
Category
Poverty Alleviation
Additional Information
We are a long-established charity which runs a Housing Advice Centre providing free legal advice and representation (mainly for low income private tenants and homeless families).
This is a crucial area of work as we face a huge housing crisis which is forcing thousands of vulnerable tenants into low quality homes with non-professional and sometimes rogue landlords. Harassment and illegal evictions are already increasing as tenants struggle to pay spiralling rents. The Welfare Benefit Reforms are set to increase severe overcrowding as families downsize rather than move away from their social networks, local schools and trusted health support.
We also bring tenants together to develop policies to address the problems they face and campaign for change.
Our expertise is widely recognised and we represent the voice of private tenants on a number of bodies such as the London Mayor's Housing Forum, Govt Select Cttes, etc
We also provide financial inclusion support, which includes Credit Union services (savings and small loans) to counter to growing band on Loan Sharks.
