Homeless prevention grants are among the most effective ways to help people keep their home or secure alternative housing, and therefore avoid the crisis of homelessness. While these grants are single, one-off payments, their impact often extends far beyond the initial intervention. By addressing urgent financial challenges, they can provide individuals or families with the stability to rebuild their lives, creating lasting security and independence. In this article, we explore how homeless prevention grants create meaningful, long-term change for those at risk of homelessness.
Before we get started
Before we get started
If you’d like to learn more about the various ways we help people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, then join our newsletter for the latest updates.
What are homeless prevention grants?
What are homeless prevention grants?
Homeless prevention grants are targeted, one-off payments designed to help people keep their homes and avoid experiencing homelessness in the first instance. These grants can help pay for urgent expenses like rent arrears, deposits for new accommodation or household bills, offering a lifeline to those at risk of losing their homes.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis is bringing many more people and families to the brink of homelessness. In the recent Autumn Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves recognised this crisis, by promising £230 million for councils to help reduce homelessness, as well as committing an additional £500 million for social housing. However, a lack of sustained funding poses a growing challenge. With significant government support set to end in March 2025, the need for continued funding for the sector is crucial.
The need for long-term funding was made clear in our annual Frontline Worker Survey, with 84% of homelessness workers reporting increased demand for their services in the 12 months before January 2024.
“As with all local authorities, budgets are extremely tight, caseloads increase, but the resources don’t.” – Frontline worker in Wrexham
In 2023-24, St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity spent over £1,780,676 providing homeless prevention grants, helping 7,512 to secure or keep their homes. But we couldn’t achieve this impact without your support. Your donation will ensure that we can continue to offer grants to those at risk of homelessness.
Read more about how your contributions help people experiencing homelessness.
Support St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity and help transform lives.
Emergency homeless prevention grants via our Vicar’s Relief Fund
Emergency homeless prevention grants via our Vicar’s Relief Fund
We provide homelessness prevention grants through our Vicar’s Relief Fund (VRF), for people experiencing homelessness, or at risk of losing their home. These one-off payments, issued within days, help cover critical needs like deposits, rent in advance, or moving costs. By addressing urgent barriers, the VRF ensures people can secure or maintain a stable home.
Grant applications are completed by expert support workers who work closely with those experiencing homelessness and understand their needs. They can apply for grants to prevent eviction up to a value of £350, or to access accommodation, which is capped at £500.
While the VRF provides a relatively small single payment designed to improve someone’s housing situation immediately, the benefits are often long-lasting. By offering immediate stability, these grants give individuals the time and opportunity to rebuild their lives and establish long-term security.
Find out more about the VRF.
The impact of our VRF grants
The VRF offers critical support across a wide range of circumstances, providing quick financial assistance to individuals facing housing instability and homelessness. The majority of grants are given for a deposit or rent in advance, but other reasons include paying for ID applications to access accommodation, moving costs or rent arrears.
Homeless prevention grants play a crucial role by providing short-term, emergency funding which helps people secure or keep a safe place to live. Read more about the impact of homeless prevention grants.
In 2023-24, we awarded 3,780 grants for accessing accommodation and 728 for preventing eviction through the VRF. In total, 4,508 grants were given out, totalling £1,780,676. The majority (451) of the homeless prevention grants were awarded to pay for rent arrears or service charge arrears (297).
As a result of this intervention, 7,512 people were able to keep or find a new home. Chrissy’s story is an example of the long-term benefits that can come out of our homeless prevention grants. In 2018, Chrissy was able to secure a new flat with a VRF grant after her release from prison following a drugs offence. Five years later, we caught up with her and heard how she’s getting on.
Chrissy expressed how grateful she is to have received a VRF grant. She says that without this support, she may have been left without a home to go to upon her release.
“I honestly believe from my heart that if I hadn’t got the home and the help from yourselves, I probably would have gone down the drug route again. These past five years would have been totally different, I could have even been dead.”
However, despite these benefits, access to grants is becoming more limited. We heard from one frontline worker in our recent Frontline Worker Survey: “Grants are becoming harder to find to help people with rent arrears.” – Frontline worker in the East Midlands.
This highlights the vital need for continued donations to ensure the VRF remains a lifeline for people facing homelessness across the UK. Your support can make all the difference.
Make a real difference.
