A desperate appeal has gone out from the Tory led Cornwall Council for people with spare acconadation available to come forward to help those in need.

The appeal is looking for people with a spare room, an empty property or an unused annexe which could be a home for a person or family in urgent need of somewhere to live in Cornwall.

TRhe council says as part of its commitment to tackle the "unprecedented" pressure on housing in Cornwall and help people struggling to find a secure home, it wants to work with residents to make better use of existing houses and buildings.

In return the council will provide support to help householders manage the practicalities of renting their spare rooms or properties to people in need.

“We all need and deserve somewhere safe, warm and secure to live said Olly Monk, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for housing and planning.

“We are already working closely with partners on a range of schemes to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping, increase the availability of homes for local residents, and provide more affordable homes and homes for social rent.

“However, while these initiatives are making a real difference, we know that the impact of the ‘perfect storm’ in the local housing market means that all types of people, including working families, couples and singles, are still struggling to find somewhere to live.

“We recognise that some people who may have spare rooms in their homes, or who have unused annexes or empty properties, can be put off by the practicalities of renting them out.

"By working with us to provide accommodation for local residents who are facing homelessness, we can offer help and support by identifying potential tenants for spare rooms, or, where appropriate, by leasing and then managing the letting of privately owned properties.”

One of the key housing issues facing Cornwall is the shortage of self-contained properties for longer term accommodation.

To help address this the council has introduced a Private Sector Leasing (PSL) scheme which enables us to lease a property from an owner and then rent the property to an individual or family.

The amount of rent paid to the property owner is in line with the latest Local Housing Allowance. In return the council provides a full management service during the lease period (typically up to five years), with the property then returned to the owner in the same condition as when it was taken on.

Further information about the Private Sector Leasing (PSL) scheme is available from the Council’s Housing Commissioning team at housingcommissioning@cornwall.gov.uk

The Council also runs the Cornwall Housing Private Letting scheme, a high street social lettings agency that can manage an owner’s property as an agent in exchange for a competitive commission.

Another initiative in place to make the best use of existing accommodation sees the Council partnered with Supportmatch Homeshare and the Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum to deliver a new Homeshare Service in Cornwall.

The scheme matches householders with homesharers. A householder is an individual or couple with a spare room that would like practical support around the home, and companionship.

A homesharer is someone who needs affordable accommodation and can provide support and companionship to the householder for an agreed number of hours per week. This arrangement doesn’t include providing personal care.

 The scheme can improve quality of life for both the householder and the homesharer. Typically support and companionship is offered between 10-15 hours per week. The accommodation provided is very affordable, safe and secure.

Both parties are vetted, and safeguarding is a crucial element of the service. The Homesharer can continue their everyday activities such as employment and hobbies because the hours of support are flexible and spread across the weekdays and weekend. Anyone who has a spare room and would like to find out more can email info@supportmatch.co.uk or call 0203 633 6066.  

Further information is also available on the Supportmatch website.

“We are already delivering a number of successful schemes which are helping people in urgent need of accommodation in Cornwall, but we need to do even more if we are going to meet our aim of providing every resident with a secure place to live,” said Olly Monk “To help us achieve this we are asking the public to come forward with details of any spare rooms and properties we can use to provide accommodation for people in need. In return we will help the householders and property owners by managing the practicalities of renting and manging tenancies. “ More information can be found on the Council’s website at How property owners can help with housing - Cornwall Council