Formed in 2016, the group has grown to 116 members, which together own and manage over 1.34 million homes. Homes for Cathy members sign up to nine homelessness commitments, developed with the homelessness charity Crisis, which guide and benchmark best practice within their organisations.
Members meet for workshops to share knowledge around meeting the commitments, tackling a range of subjects including reducing evictions, maintaining flexible allocations and eligibility policies, offering furnished tenancies to people experiencing homelessness and working in partnership to deliver initiatives such as Housing First.
Homes for Cathy also hosts an annual national conference, uniting stakeholders from housing associations, local government and charities to discuss and debate homelessness challenges, share solutions and galvanise action.
Alongside events, knowledge is shared through the Homes for Cathy online news hub and quarterly newsletters.
As a Homes for Cathy member, Hightown uses the Homes for Cathy commitments as a framework for reporting and planning homelessness provision and policy within our organisation and to benchmark our progress.
