127 - Why Women's Homelessness Is Hidden with Kerri Douglas

In this episode Kerri Douglas returns to the podcast and helps us to understand the person behind homelessness, she talks about the recent abolition of the Vagrancy Act and its implications, she discuses Andy Burnham's drive to end homelessness and she talks about the issues behind women homelessness and why the numbers of women who are homeless have been historically wrong. Kerri shares practical advice for anyone involved in supporting or working with people who are or have been homeless. Kerri's earlier interview can be found here https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/mLEI0QeYT5bKerri Douglas is an author, speaker and consultant who uses her own lived experience to change the way we understand homelessness, trauma and adversity. Kerri experienced the care system, homelessness, addiction and the criminal justice system, including sleeping rough on and off between the ages of 13 and 24.Today, she uses those experiences to help organisations understand the person and the story behind homelessness. She is the author of Gutter to Glory: From Pavements to Parliament and creator of Homelessness Inside Out, a lived experience led online training programme. Her journey has taken her from sleeping rough in Westminster to speaking in Parliament and contributing to national conversations around homelessness.My book – Gutter to Glory: From Pavements to Parliamenthttps://kerridouglas.co.uk/gutter-to-glory/Homelessness Inside OutThis is the online training I created using my own lived experience to help people understand the story before the street and what can really sit behind homelessness.https://kerridouglas.co.uk/homelessness-training/My websitehttps://kerridouglas.co.uk/For women’s homelessness, look at the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census. https://solacewomensaid.org/womens-rough-sleeping-census/Lisa Brown became a property investor after a long nursing career. She initially developed heritage properties and then a chance encounter led her to discover supported living. She realized this was a powerful way to invest in property while creating homes for people with a support need. Lisa set about discovering why property investors struggle to let their properties to supported living providers and why providers struggle to find property to let. She has been educating people, raising awareness and working on solutions to this problem ever since. Lisa is the host of the Supported Living Property Podcast and YouTube channel and formed The Supported Living Property Facebook Group. Lisa is founder of The Supported Living Property Network, a place for property investors and supported living providers to connect, build relationships and communicate about property they have available and/or need. Membership includes access to training courses, monthly training events and networking events and access to The Supported Living Property Network Conference. To find out how you can join The Supported Living Property Network please follow this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lisa has written a free guide for you:If you are a property investor download this free guide to help you find providers to lease your property: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-property-investors⁠⁠⁠ If you are a provider who is looking for property to lease then download this free guide to help you find property: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-providers⁠⁠⁠Looking for property to lease? ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/property-match-service⁠These interviews are also available as podcasts from your usual podcast provider, just search for The Supported Living Property Podcast.

In this episode Michael Hinett returns to the podcast to help us understand what is happening for providers of all types in 2026. He updates us on what we need to know about CQC registrations and inspections, Ofsted registrations for children's homes, planning use class changes for children's homes, and what he is seeing across the country in the tender process. We also discuss the scams he is seeing that are affecting social care providers. This is an essential update for supported living providers whether you are established or planning a new service and for those thinking of setting up or growing children's homes. It is also a very useful episode for any property investors looking to work with supported living providers and childrens' homes providers to help you to understand the challenges they are facing. Michael has worked in social care for almost 20 years, from Support Worker to Group Director of Quality & Compliance, covering supported living, domiciliary care, and residential settings. In 2020 he decided to set up his own consultancy and Qualis was born.The Qualis Companies are in place to support all types of social care businesses, whether they are looking to Start, Grow or Improve they have a solution to assist. From CQC compliance audits, turnaround management, and CQC registration, to Recruitment and Tender writing, our consultants are extremely experienced and specialists within their field.⁠www.wearequalis.co.uk⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearequalis/Lisa Brown became a property investor after a long nursing career. She initially developed heritage properties and then a chance encounter led her to discover supported living. She realized this was a powerful way to invest in property while creating homes for people with a support need. Lisa set about discovering why property investors struggle to let their properties to supported living providers and why providers struggle to find property to let. She has been educating people, raising awareness and working on solutions to this problem ever since. Lisa is the host of the Supported Living Property Podcast and YouTube channel and formed The Supported Living Property Facebook Group. Lisa is founder of The Supported Living Property Network, a place for property investors and supported living providers to connect, build relationships and communicate about property they have available and/or need. Membership includes access to training courses, monthly training events and networking events and access to The Supported Living Property Network Conference. To find out how you can join The Supported Living Property Network please follow this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lisa has written a free guide for you:If you are a property investor download this free guide to help you find providers to lease your property: ⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-property-investors⁠⁠ If you are a provider who is looking for property to lease then download this free guide to help you find property: ⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-providers⁠⁠Looking for property to lease? https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/property-match-serviceThese interviews are also available as podcasts from your usual podcast provider, just search for The Supported Living Property Podcast.

In this episode Jill Corbyn helps us really understand the world from an autistic perspective. Drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience, Jill explores concepts that are often misunderstood or misinterpreted as "difficult", "odd", "challenging", "attention seeking" or "weird". Jill challenges some of the mainstream thinking around autism, how we support autistic people, and encourages us all to approach things differently.This episode will be of interest to anyone who interacts with or supports autistic people (ie everyone), professionally or informally, whether you are a friend, a family member, a property developer or a support provider, even if you have years of experience, I think you will still learn something new from this episode.Jill Corbyn (they/them) is the Founder and Director of Neurodiverse Connection; a Community Interest Company specialising in neurodiversity-affirming environments and support approaches for autistic and neurodivergent people. Working through a nervous system lens, they help organisations create services, homes, and environments where people can feel safe, connected, and able to flourish. They have contributed to national guidance and publications, including It's Not Rocket Science: Considering and Meeting Sensory Need in Inpatient Services, Supporting Autistic People Flourishing at Home and Beyond, Sensory Friendly Wards guidance, and Autism Informed Care guidance for NHS England.A practical approach to neurodiversity-affirming care and support: https://ndconnection.co.uk/resources/p/toolkit-nd-affirming-care-and-supportNdC resource page: https://ndconnection.co.uk/resourcesNdC Housing Summit: https://ndconnection.co.uk/designing-homes-for-sensory-differencesHousing and homes NdC resources: https://ndconnection.co.uk/housing-and-homesAgainst PBS and ABA: https://ndconnection.co.uk/against-pbs-abaResource on co-escalation and co-regulation: https://ndconnection.co.uk/resources/p/co-escalation-and-co-regulationAutistic SPACE paper https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/full/10.12968/hmed.2023.0006Lisa Brown became a property investor after a long nursing career. She initially developed heritage properties and then a chance encounter led her to discover supported living. She realized this was a powerful way to invest in property while creating homes for people with a support need. Lisa set about discovering why property investors struggle to let their properties to supported living providers and why providers struggle to find property to let. She has been educating people, raising awareness and working on solutions to this problem ever since. Lisa is the host of the Supported Living Property Podcast and YouTube channel and formed The Supported Living Property Facebook Group. Lisa is founder of The Supported Living Property Network, a place for property investors and supported living providers to connect, build relationships and communicate about property they have available and/or need. Membership includes access to training courses, monthly training events and networking events and access to The Supported Living Property Network Conference. To find out how you can join The Supported Living Property Network please follow this link: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠Lisa has written a free guide for you:If you are a property investor download this free guide to help you find providers to lease your property: ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-property-investors⁠ If you are a provider who is looking for property to lease then download this free guide to help you find property: ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-providers⁠These interviews are also available as podcasts from your usual podcast provider, just search for The Supported Living Property Podcast.

In this episode Tina Davies and Lyndsey Todd the founders of Autizma, share their experiences of navigating the system advocating for their neuordiverse children and then how this led them to set up their own CIC. They explain how they have used their own experiences to support others and how Autizma has now evolved into a Housing CIC to create homes for people with a learning disability and/or autism. Lyndsey explains how her own lived experience of neurodiversity has helped her understand and advocate for those with no voice. In this episode you will hear practical advice for parents about working with professionals and advice for professionals working with parents.Tina Davies is the Director of Autisma CIC and a passionate advocate and coach for families of neurodivergent individuals.  She holds qualifications in care, autism and psychology and combines professional knowledge with extensive lived experience supporting autistic individuals and those with complex needs.  As the mother of three neurodivergent children, Tina has firsthand experience navigating health, care, education and housing systems. Through determination and advocacy, she successfully secured and established a supported housing arrangement for her own daughter, creating a stable environment that meets her complex needs.This journey inspired Tina to establish Autisma CIC to help other families access safe, stable and well-managed housing environments and to support care providers in delivering services within appropriate housing arrangements.Lyndsey Todd is training director, as an autistic professional, trainer and speaker specialising in neurodiversity, autism awareness and inclusive practice.  Drawing on both lived experience and professional expertise, Lyndsey provides powerful insight into the realities of neurodivergent life and the importance of creating environments that support communication, regulation and understanding.  Lyndsey delivers engaging and practical training sessions that support professionals, organisations and families to better understand autism, sensory processing differences and neurodivergent communication.  Her work promotes compassionate, informed and person-centred approaches across education, health and social care settings.Lyndsey’s perspective as an autistic professional helps bridge the gap between policy, theory and real-life experience, helping organisations create environments where neurodivergent individuals can thrive.Autisma CIC is a parent-led organisation focused on improving outcomes for autistic individuals and those with complex needs through housing support, advocacy, training and environmental understanding.  Their work is informed by lived experience, professional knowledge and a commitment to creating environments where neurodivergent individuals can thrive.Autizma provides support to families, care providers, housing partners and organisations, helping to bridge the gap between care, housing and lived experience.  Autism provides supported housing and housing management, sensory and environmental assessments to help identify how physical environments may impact autistic individuals.Autizma can support families and professionals in identifying suitable housing arrangements for individuals with complex needs.  Autizma provides advocacy and coaching for families navigating complex systems, including housing, education, health and care services.  Autizma also offers training and awareness sessions to help organisations better understand neurodiversity.Family support Group :https://www.facebook.com/groups/341288696274942/?ref=shareFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutizmaCICLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-davies-592097118?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_appWebsite:https://www.autizma.co.uk/

In this episode, Rianne Darko speaks honestly about the realities of care leavers’ housing, she explains the challenges young people who have been in care face and discusses some solutions.  She debunks the terminology and explains the different housing and support models. Rianne Darko is a local government commissioner and a qualified secondary school teacher, with over 15 years’ experience working across housing, youth services, and public sector commissioning. Her work focuses on supported accommodation for care leavers, making sure young people have safe, stable homes and the right support as they move toward independence.Rianne is passionate about shaping services for young people. She’s worked across several London boroughs, leading housing pathways and co-producing services with young people.Some Relevant links: Ofsted – Supported accommodation guidance (official page)https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supported-accommodation-for-looked-after-children-and-care-leaversOfsted registration requirements (providers)https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-to-register-a-supported-accommodation-serviceDepartment for Education – National Standards for Supported Accommodation (2023)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supported-accommodation-national-standardsThe Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 (legislation)https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1076/contents/madeExempt Accommodation definition (DWP guidance)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-benefit-adjudication-circularsAlternative Payment Arrangements (direct to landlord)https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-landlord-request-for-a-managed-payment-or-rent-arrears-deductionHousing First Englandhttps://hfe.homeless.org.uk/St Basils – Care Leavers & Youth Housing Pathwayshttps://stbasils.org.uk/Centrepoint report - From care to where? Care leavers' access to accomodation- https://centrepoint.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/from-care-to-where-centrepoint-report.pdfLisa Brown became a property investor after a long nursing career. She initially developed heritage properties and then a chance encounter led her to discover supported living. She realized this was a powerful way to invest in property while creating homes for people with a support need. Lisa set about discovering why property investors struggle to let their properties to supported living providers and why providers struggle to find property to let. She has been educating people, raising awareness and working on solutions to this problem ever since. Lisa is the host of the Supported Living Property Podcast and YouTube channel and formed The Supported Living Property Facebook Group. Lisa is founder of The Supported Living Property Network, a place for property investors and supported living providers to connect, build relationships and communicate about property they have available and/or need. Membership includes access to training courses, monthly training events and networking events and access to The Supported Living Property Network Conference. To find out how you can join The Supported Living Property Network please follow this link: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠Lisa has written a free guide for you:If you are a property investor download this free guide to help you find providers to lease your property: ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-property-investors⁠ If you are a provider who is looking for property to lease then download this free guide to help you find property: ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-providers⁠These interviews are also available as podcasts from your usual podcast provider, just search for The Supported Living Property Podcast.

In this episode Christine Edwards- Daem discusses the housing needs of autistic people, she shares what is working for the people she supports and what is not working. She shares advice for property investors and developers interested in developing homes for autistic people and helps us all understand what is needed now and what are some of the challenges we may face in the future.Christine Edwards-Daem is a visionary leader dedicated to creating inclusive opportunities for Autistic people with learning disabilities. With a passion for social care innovation, she champions dignity, empowerment, and community integration. Her commitment drives transformative projects that improve lives and inspire others to build a more compassionate, equitable society.Christine is CEO of the Kent Autistic Trust and large Charity based in Medway and Kent, providing Family support, day opportunities, outreach, registered and specialist supported living to 107 Autistic people with complex and associated needs and employs close to 350 staff. The Trust was first established in 1989 in response to unsuitable provision for the more complex care needs of people leaving specialist schools.Lisa Brown became a property investor after a long nursing career. She initially developed heritage properties and then a chance encounter led her to discover supported living. She realized this was a powerful way to invest in property while creating homes for people with a support need. Lisa set about discovering why property investors struggle to let their properties to supported living providers and why providers struggle to find property to let. She has been educating people, raising awareness and working on solutions to this problem ever since. Lisa is the host of the Supported Living Property Podcast and YouTube channel and formed The Supported Living Property Facebook Group. Lisa is founder of The Supported Living Property Network, a place for property investors and supported living providers to connect, build relationships and communicate about property they have available and/or need. Membership includes access to training courses, monthly training events and networking events and access to The Supported Living Property Network Conference. To find out how you can join The Supported Living Property Network please follow this link: ⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/⁠⁠⁠Lisa has written a free guide for you:If you are a property investor download this free guide to help you find providers to lease your property: https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-property-investors If you are a provider who is looking for property to lease then download this free guide to help you find property: https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-providersThese interviews are also available as podcasts from your usual podcast provider, just search for The Supported Living Property Podcast.

In this episode Stephen Unwin discusses learning disability from a historical and cultural perspective. He challenges us to think differently and discusses whether it is right to lump learning disabilities and autism together in a way that has become so common. He discusses the impact of positivity and enablement culture of those who have profound disability.  This is an important listen for anyone who supports or cares for someone with a learning disability. Stephen Unwin is a very experienced theatre director and playwright. He is also the father of a young man with severe learning disabilities and a campaigner for the rights and dignities of people like him. His most recent book, Beautiful Lives: How We Got Learning Disabilities So Wrong is a cultural, philosophical and political history of this forgotten minority and an exploration of the contradictions and challenges of today.https://www.stephenunwin.uk/Beautiful Lives - How we got learning disabilities so wrong - Stephen Unwin Available here: https://amzn.eu/d/2tpCmc1Lisa Brown became a property investor after a long nursing career. She initially developed heritage properties and then a chance encounter led her to discover supported living. She realized this was a powerful way to invest in property while creating homes for people with a support need. Lisa set about discovering why property investors struggle to let their properties to supported living providers and why providers struggle to find property to let. She has been educating people, raising awareness and working on solutions to this problem ever since. Lisa is the host of the Supported Living Property Podcast and YouTube channel and formed The Supported Living Property Facebook Group. Lisa is founder of The Supported Living Property Network, a place for property investors and supported living providers to connect, build relationships and communicate about property they have available and/or need. Membership includes access to training courses, monthly training events and networking events and access to The Supported Living Property Network Conference. To find out how you can join The Supported Living Property Network please follow this link: ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/⁠⁠Lisa has written a free guide for you:If you are a property investor download this free guide to help you find providers to lease your property: ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-property-investors⁠ If you are a provider who is looking for property to lease then download this free guide to help you find property: ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-providers⁠These interviews are also available as podcasts from your usual podcast provider, just search for The Supported Living Property Podcast.

In this episode Tanya Farley shares her experience of creating a supported living home for her son and two other young men. She explains how she took her vision and managed to get the local authority to use plots on a new build estate, that were allocated for affordable homes, to create a purpose built home. Tanya describes in detail some of the changes that were required to create the property and the impact developing a home that meets the needs of its tenants has had. Tanya Farley co-founded the Autism a Hands on approach conference 22 years ago. Her motivation came from the fact that she is a parent of an autistic young man and wanted to know as much as possible about the condition and to connect with others who were interested. The objectives of the day have always been to provide quality information, raise awareness and hopefully to improve services. The Autism a Hands on Approach conference has proved extremely popular and has become firmly established in the autism calendar as an event where parents, carers, professionals and autistic individuals have a chance to meet up, listen and network. Whether you're a professional, educator, caregiver, or ally, you'll leave with actionable tools and a deeper understanding to create more inclusive environments.To book or access the secure video catch-up https://autismahandsonapproach.co.uk/conference/ Autism a Hands on is also running an exciting line up of online workshops in 2026 please see attached schedule https://autismahandsonapproach.co.uk/from-isolation-to-empowerment-finding-your-place-in-education-why-belonging-matters/Lisa Brown became a property investor after a long nursing career. She initially developed heritage properties and then a chance encounter led her to discover supported living. She realized this was a powerful way to invest in property while creating homes for people with a support need. Lisa set about discovering why property investors struggle to let their properties to supported living providers and why providers struggle to find property to let. She has been educating people, raising awareness and working on solutions to this problem ever since. Lisa is the host of the Supported Living Property Podcast and YouTube channel and formed The Supported Living Property Facebook Group. Lisa is founder of The Supported Living Property Network, a place for property investors and supported living providers to connect, build relationships and communicate about property they have available and/or need. Membership includes access to training courses, monthly training events and networking events and access to The Supported Living Property Network Conference. To find out how you can join The Supported Living Property Network please follow this link: https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/⁠Lisa has written a free guide for you:If you are a property investor download this free guide to help you find providers to lease your property: https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-property-investors If you are a provider who is looking for property to lease then download this free guide to help you find property: https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-providersThese interviews are also available as podcasts from your usual podcast provider, just search for The Supported Living Property Podcast.

In this episode Michael Hinett discusses the proliferation of "consultants", "experts" "tender writers" and "trainers" offering to help people set up as supported living providers. He explains  why this is an issue, how people are being scammed and what you can do to protect yourself. If you are looking to set up as a provider make sure you take the time to access this episode so you can ensure you are working with the right partners.  Michael has worked in social care for almost 20 years, from Support Worker to Group Director of Quality & Compliance, covering supported living, domiciliary care, and residential settings. In 2020 he decided to set up his own consultancy and Qualis was born.The Qualis Companies are in place to support all types of social care businesses, whether they are looking to Start, Grow or Improve they have a solution to assist. From CQC compliance audits, turnaround management, and CQC registration, to Recruitment and Tender writing, our consultants are extremely experienced and specialists within their field.www.wearequalis.co.ukLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearequalis/Lisa Brown became a property investor after a long nursing career. She initially developed heritage properties and then a chance encounter led her to discover supported living. She realized this was a powerful way to invest in property while creating homes for people with a support need. Lisa set about discovering why property investors struggle to let their properties to supported living providers and why providers struggle to find property to let. She has been educating people, raising awareness and working on solutions to this problem ever since. Lisa is the host of the Supported Living Property Podcast and YouTube channel and formed The Supported Living Property Facebook Group. Lisa is founder of The Supported Living Property Network, a place for property investors and supported living providers to connect, build relationships and communicate about property they have available and/or need. Membership includes access to training courses, monthly training events and networking events and access to The Supported Living Property Network Conference. To find out how you can join The Supported Living Property Network please follow this link: ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/the-supported-living-property-network⁠Lisa has written a free guide for you:If you are a property investor download this free guide to help you find providers to lease your property: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-property-investors⁠ If you are a provider who is looking for property to lease then download this free guide to help you find property: ⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-providers⁠These interviews are also available as podcasts from your usual podcast provider, just search for The Supported Living Property Podcast.

In this episode Adam Gowland draws on his experience as a commissioner and as a developer of supported housing to explain the realities of developing property for supported living. We discuss issues around planning, unit sizes, decision making, timescales and adaptations. We do also share the benefits and why this is such an important and much needed space to invest in.Adam has had a varied career in the public sector, starting out as an advocate for children leaving care before going onto work on a range of programmes designed to reduce homelessness or improve the quality of homes for vulnerable people experiencing ill health. He has commissioned a diverse range of accommodation-based services including drug and alcohol treatment facilities, transitional accommodation for people leaving hospital with complex physical and/or mental health support requirements, and long-term supported living for people with a learning disability and autistic people.For the past decade, Adam has worked as an independent consultant offering advice, guidance and support to local authorities, the NHS, housing organisations, developers and care providers on supported living and specialist supported housing.LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gowlandadam/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adam.gowland.77Lisa Brown became a property investor after a long nursing career. She initially developed heritage properties and then a chance encounter led her to discover supported living. She realized this was a powerful way to invest in property while creating homes for people with a support need. Lisa set about discovering why property investors struggle to let their properties to supported living providers and why providers struggle to find property to let. She has been educating people, raising awareness and working on solutions to this problem ever since. Lisa is the host of the Supported Living Property Podcast and YouTube channel and formed The Supported Living Property Facebook Group. Lisa is founder of The Supported Living Property Network, a place for property investors and supported living providers to connect, build relationships and communicate about property they have available and/or need. Membership includes access to training courses, monthly training events and networking events and access to The Supported Living Property Network Conference. To find out how you can join The Supported Living Property Network please follow this link: https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/the-supported-living-property-networkLisa has written a free guide for you:If you are a property investor download this free guide to help you find providers to lease your property: ⁠⁠https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-property-investors If you are a provider who is looking for property to lease then download this free guide to help you find property: https://www.supportedlivingproperty.uk/free-guide-for-providersThese interviews are also available as podcasts from your usual podcast provider, just search for The Supported Living Property Podcast.