Creating a pathway from hostel to home
The issue
Temporary accommodation is rarely temporary.
Residents in hostels and other forms of supported temporary accommodation face a financial cliff-edge when they work over a certain number of hours. If they work more, they rapidly lose their housing benefit and must pay high rates of rent or service fees. In addition, some supported temporary accommodation providers do not allow residents to work more than part-time hours, meaning working more can lead to eviction.
This catch-22 forces residents to choose between risking rent arrears and eviction, or working minimal hours at the cost of saving a rental deposit. Known as the benefits trap, this creates a situation where people are incentivised not to work as they often end up worse off if they do.
-£19.00
left at the end of the month, for someone under 25, working part-time and living in a catered hostel
131,140
households living in temporary accommodation in England as of 31 March 2025
£5m
spent every day by London councils on temporary accommodation
Impact report
Read our latest impact report below.
Testimonials
Emmanuel was our first ever trainee. In 2016, our paths crossed at YMCA Crouch End where Emmanuel was living at the time.
Amika started the Milestone Programme in 2021 having studied Business Management where she got a 2:1. She started off at our first social enterprise site, Ebury in Pimlico, and was really keen to work in HR after completing the programme. She helped research and write our policies with our Head of Operations. We helped Amika get her British Passport, worked on her CV and drafted cover letters together in her 1:1 sessions.
We supported Amika in finding work experience in HR with one of our partner organisations - Brookfield Properties. She completed two weeks of HR work experience there, alongside a much larger corporate HR team. She accessed life coaching and 1:1 support from the team. She then found a role as an HR Assistant at MTVH Housing Trust and has been working there ever since.
She applied for and completed her CIPD Level 3 in People Practice, scoring a high mark. She accessed her Move On grant in early 2023 and moved into an apartment.
“No matter what’s going on in my life, I’ll always be able to smile because of Fat Macy’s. They changed my life and continue to help me. I’m more confident in my abilities and I’ve learnt a lot. They always believe in me and are always there to talk to. I feel part of a family.”
— Emmanuel, Fat Macy’s Graduate