WESTMINSTER SHORT LIFE HOUSING


WESTMINSTER SHORT LIFE HOUSING LTD,
2A, THE ANNEXE, 
5, WOODFIELD RD, LONDON W9 2BA.


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Westminster Short Life - A brief introduction

 
 
 

1. Our history in housing goes back 17 years, along which we learnt, incorporated and developed the knowledge, practical skills and ethos that enabled the provision, organisation and effective management of the essential housing needs for people with a broad variety of personal backgrounds. 
2. Along the way we have grown to the understanding that our human diversity is a fundamental source of strength and inspiration with which to face the forces of disintegration and social exclusion...Our survival and active presence give credit to the wisdom of that early realisation.
 We are self-funding and member controlled; in short: We are genuine and experienced practitioners of pluralism and self-reliance.
 Most of the initial work and a great deal of the one done at present had been and is done outside the paid economy. 
3. Our current membership is +/- 400. We employ a team of 6 professional workers. 
 We are looking for ways to consolidate and project out into the locality with the confidence and the pool of skills that we possess.

How Short Life Housing works

We provide short life housing on a licensee basis. The way this works is that we take on people that are referred to us by a network of advisory agencies. The housing is provided to us by some private landlords, but mostly Housing Associations, Trusts and Local Authorities, who benefit from recovering revenue that would otherwise be lost by leaving a place empty, and also preventing it from being squatted, as well as peace of mind knowing that someone is looking after it. We are not in the position to offer anyone a tenancy, as the landlord may require the property back at short notice, and also as the place may not be in a suitable condition for a fully-blown tenant, so we offer instead a standard licence agreement, giving 28 days notice to quit, and can only guarantee a basic, safe standard of living. Often the place will need decorating, although we do essential maintenance. Although this can sometimes be quite stressful for the licensee, especially if they've had to move quite a lot recently, it's certainly better than being on the street! Also, occasionally, our housing providers offer us permanent spaces, so it's not unknown for short lifers to find a safe, secure home in the end.

 
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