What we do
We are housing experts, here to help the people of Bristol and beyond navigate the path to a safe and secure home.
Our housing advice service
We provide:
- Brief advice – an adviser may be able to resolve an issue fairly quickly via our helpline.
- Long-term casework – we support many clients for several months – sometimes years – until we achieve the best possible outcome for them.
- Outreach work – we’ve built strong partnerships with other local agencies, delivering support in locations around Bristol to reach people who may not otherwise find us.
The most common issue we support clients with is homelessness. This could be in the form of rough sleeping, sofa-surfing, or living in a hostel, B&B, night shelter, or temporary accommodation.
Other clients may be struggling because of overcrowding, extreme disrepair, eviction threats, landlord disputes, domestic abuse, or race-based hate crime.
As well as directly supporting clients, we also influence local housing policy, amplifying the voices of those who are bearing the brunt of the housing crisis at policy debates and decision-making forums.
Why we are needed
In these challenging times, where demand for crisis services and housing outstrips supply, our aim wherever possible is to prevent homelessness through early intervention, and to rehouse those who have already fallen into homelessness.
Our clients
We support people from many different backgrounds, including disabled people and their carers, refugees, single parents, and people leaving care, prison or rehab with little support.
A lot of our clients face extra barriers when it comes to accessing good quality housing and housing support, such as language barriers, poverty, poor mental health and discrimination.
52% are households with dependent children.
87% rely on benefit, either fully or to top up their income or pension.
30% speak English as a second language.
64% are from minoritised ethnic groups.
42% have a mental condition.
38% have a physical disability or health condition.
Housing and immigration
Housing Matters has now registered with the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).
This means we can now give Level 1 immigration advice to clients whose immigration status is affecting their housing situation.
Who we can help
We may be able to help you if your housing situation is being affected by the following immigration issues:
- You have no recourse to public funds (when you are unable to claim welfare benefits because of your immigration status);
- You are ineligible for homelessness assistance (when a local authority will not provide temporary accommodation because of your immigration status).