Making A Fresh Start

Helen Watson founded Rentstart in 2001 after moving to Elmbridge.

“Having previously worked in London, I was only too aware of homelessness and, perhaps naively, I was shocked when I realised there were so many homeless people in this sleepy Surrey borough.

“Whether they were sofa-surfing or sleeping rough, this area had very few facilities for single people who were homeless.

“Single homeless people, or homeless dads who didn’t live with their children, found it almost impossible to rent local authority housing, while renting from a private landlord was out of the question as a large deposit was required.”

Helen set up Rentstart to help single people who were homeless or at risk of being homeless by lending them a deposit for a rental property.

“Rentstart also worked with landlords to encourage them to consider allowing homeless people to rent their properties,” Helen says.

“My colleague Helena and I also provided services to help our clients regain their self-esteem, receive NHS treatment, access training and education, obtain benefits and find employment.”

By 2019, Rentstart was advising around 400 people a year and housing about 150 homeless people.

“We’d also grown from two employees to eighteen, and moved out of a small Portakabin into a former building society, which we’ve transformed into an estate agency for the homeless.

“Now, as well as providing support so homeless people can find homes, we also have our own properties to rent, as well as advising about jobs, money, training and anything else our clients need help with.

“At our warm and welcoming premises, our clients can also access showers, washing machines, computers and hot food.

“Rentstart currently has forty fantastic volunteers who provide advice and support, cook meals, prepare houses for new tenants and are always on hand to chat.

“Some of the guys who come to us are really lonely, and being able to talk to someone can make a massive difference to them.”