It's a common misconception that a career in property isn't compatible with operating a not-for-profit business, and that landlords in particular are more focused on money than the wellbeing and comfort of their tenants.

And whilst this may well be the case for a lot of old-school landlords and property investors, here in The Hive we love to debunk this stereotype – showing that property really can be used for good, and shining a light on the people creating inspiring homes where tenants are the main priority.

Someone doing just that is Tiffany Brierley, Co-Founder of René House CIC.

We spoke with Tiffany about the inspiring work she is doing to improve the quality of Nottingham's supported-living accommodation, and revolutionise the level of guidance and support given to vulnerable adults in need of a fresh start.

Because now more than ever, our communities are relying on organisations like René House to provide safe, comfortable, and supportive homes to those who have found themselves in a position of homelessness.

And we believe that individuals like Tiffany not only provide this essential temporary housing, but also go the extra mile to positively impact their tenants' lives and shape their future for the better.

Please introduce yourself and your business

I’m Tiffany Brierley, and I am a co-founder of René House CIC. We are a non-profit organisation providing Supported Accommodation across Nottinghamshire to homeless adults and families.

What inspired you to focus on social housing for the homeless, instead of the more common property routes of buy-to-lets, flips, or HMOs for example?

Our original plan had been to focus on buy-to-lets, however, my background in work highlighted a need for better standards of supported housing within our local area, so we chose to use the Rent-to-Rent model to form René House.

What are your goals for René House in the future, and how do you plan to get there?

Currently, we R2R all of our properties, so our plan is to own some of our own to secure ourselves better.

We would also like to provide ‘move on’ accommodation for our residents, as currently we only offer temporary accommodation which is anything up to 2 years. We’d like to provide those who are ready, a more permanent property that they can stay in for as long as they would like.

We aim to do both of these things by raising private investment and working with investors with a social conscience.

Can you please explain more about what a ‘non-profit property business’ means, and share with us how you earn an income through your properties, or where funding might come from?

A common misconception is that ‘non-profit’ means that the organisation can’t or shouldn’t be profitable, when in actual fact, we believe it to be the total opposite.

Just like a for-profit business, a non-profit business should be as profitable as possible so that any surplus can be reinvested within our organisation to provide a better service and standard.

Our main source of income through our properties is Housing Benefit. The government sets aside a specific fund each year to pay organisations like ours who provide housing for those who need more than just a house. The Housing Benefit we receive covers the Housing Management and running costs of the property, we then apply for and receive external grant funding to fund the support costs for the support we deliver.

How do you acquire and finance a property for supported accommodation use? 

As mentioned, we currently use the rent-to-rent model, meaning we lease our properties long-term from private landlords/investors. We have acquired our properties through networking, social media, and word of mouth. We have a number of landlords who lease multiple properties to us as they are happy with our service to them and the community. 

What’s the most rewarding aspect of creating homes for vulnerable people?

Seeing just how much an environment can impact someone, in our case, positively. We have had so many success stories at René House! It’s really rewarding seeing how people grow and blossom with the right home and support in place, and how they eventually move on into their own permanent homes.

Do you believe that having a safe and good-quality home positively impacts the lives of your tenants? And have you witnessed this first-hand?

Most definitely! Environment is everything. When people move into our accommodation, we want them to feel safe and comfortable. For some people moving into one of our properties, they haven’t felt safe for a long time, so providing them with a welcoming home and bedroom is important. 

You also offer support packages and activities to your tenants – can you tell us more about these, the benefits, and why you decided to offer this?

For every resident that lives in one of our properties, they have a Support Worker that they work closely with and see each week.

We cover 10 areas of support, the main ones being: mental health support, self-care and living skills, managing money and administration, managing tenancy and accommodation, and meaningful use of time.

For some, they don’t require a lot of support but just need some guidance and advice on where to start with getting back on track. Others may need more support in most areas of their lives.

We act as a constant for them, someone they can turn to when they need us and can see on a weekly basis. We help prevent issues and repair things that have been done in the past. This is a huge benefit to our residents, as some of them may have no strong family/friend connections and people to support them, and having someone they can turn to and be accountable to helps massively.

We saw the need for not only good quality housing, but for tailored support to these individuals and how having the right support can accelerate their progression.

Can you share some of the challenges you face with supported accommodation?

One of the biggest challenges we face is the stigma that is attached to homelessness and those that are homeless. As an organisation, we try to highlight the positive things our residents do and achieve through social media and word of mouth.

How would someone get into the supported accommodation sector? What things would they need to do/consider?

Depending on what role they would like within the sector, the considerations would differ.

If they would like to invest or lease their property to a provider of supported accommodation, they would need to consider how long they would like to do this and what specific provider they would like to work with. It’s important that they do their due diligence on the provider. I would recommend that they speak to other landlords working with the provider and if possible, ask to view one of their properties in operation.

If it is someone who is looking to become a provider in this sector, I would firstly ask them to consider their reason for doing so. What are they hoping to achieve/gain from it? Who are they aiming to help and how? And how much time do they have to invest - as it will consume a lot! If the answers to this make sense to them, I would advise them to research and network as much as possible before taking the leap! We would be happy to help!

What organisations do you work with, and do you handle all of the communications with them yourself?

We receive referrals from various organisations and also different local authorities. We also refer out to providers of Mental Health support and Drug & Alcohol support where needed. We also work closely with other support providers/voluntary organisations to engage our residents in volunteering, training, education and community based activities. As a team, we deal with all communications in-house and build these relationships ourselves.

For those (particularly landlords) who might feel concerned about potential risk of damage to their properties, can you share your experiences with this and what measures you have in place to avoid this?

When we first started René House, this was something we were secretly concerned about as we had heard the horror stories! However, in the time that we have been operating, this hasn’t been an issue for us.

Of course, it isn’t perfect 100% of the time, but it is very rare that we have malicious damage done to our properties. More than anything, it would be careless behaviour as opposed to deliberate damage.

We have CCTV within all of our shared properties, externally and in the communal areas with 24/7 monitoring should we need to access. We also have staff members attending the property numerous times a week. House inspections and room inspections are carried out monthly to note any maintenance issues and a maintenance team is on hand should anything be raised.

By being proactive and vigilant, it’s rare we face such issues. We also cover all general maintenance on our properties, so should any damage occur, we would get this fixed.

Are there any limitations or restrictions you face when creating supported living properties? Do you have to limit decorating, or operate with a tight budget, for example?

Due to using the R2R model, we always have to take into consideration that it isn’t our property and although we do all we can to make it homely and prepare for move-ins, we wouldn’t make any major changes to the property. Because of how we are funded, it can be tight when setting up our properties and furnishing them as we get paid in arrears, sometimes up to 3 months after setting up the property. This creates a tight budget for us.

Have you seen an increase in applications for your rooms recently, following the cost-of-living crisis in particular? Does this drive you to invest in more properties and provide more safe spaces?

Yes, we have. The cost-of-living crisis is impacting everyone, especially those on low income or benefits. We have seen an increase in referrals of those who have had to leave private rented due to being unable to afford their bills/rent, or those being asked to leave their family homes due to similar issues. This does drive us to do more and helps us form our growth plans to suit the ever growing need in our area.

Do you know of any other areas in the UK that are in desperate need of more supported accommodation? 

Most areas of the UK will have a need for such services, I can only really speak from our local knowledge/experience. Within the East Midlands, Nottingham is the worst affected area for homelessness. A recent Shelter report states that the estimated total number of homeless people in Nottingham sits at 1,614. 

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Do you think more needs to be done to improve the standard of living for vulnerable adults across the UK? And how can this be achieved?

Yes I do. I believe that in too many cases  Supported Accommodation is set up with the wrong aims in mind and the standards aren’t great. Often, vulnerable people are promised support and great standards of housing and this isn’t what they receive. I

I believe that this sector needs to be monitored more with heavier oversight put in place to reduce/remove rogue providers and ensure that vulnerable people within these services are protected.

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If you're feeling as inspired as we are about the work Tiffany and her team are doing across Nottingham, and you want to find out more about their services and how you can get involved, please see all their details below:

• Visit the René House Website
• Follow René House on Instagram
• Donate to René House to make a difference
• In the Nottingham area and have furniture to donate to residents in need? Click here