About Housing Need

Safeguarding Policy — how we keep the people we support safe. 

Privacy Policy — how we handle your personal information. See our privacy-policy page.

Complaints Policy — Not happy with how we've handled something? 

Email info@housingneed.org with details, and P. Lyon (Chair) will respond within 5 working days. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Charity Commission once we're registered.

Grant-Making Policy — Housing Need does not currently hold grant funds. Once funding is secured, grants will be given for emergency accommodation, essential bills, or deposits, prioritised by urgency and need, and capped and reviewed monthly. See our FAQs for more detail.

Equal Access — Housing Need is free to use and open to everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, ability, sexuality, or religion.

P. Lyon — Chair & Founder. 15+ years in project management and consultancy, including prior service as Residents Chair with a large housing association. DBS-checked.

V. Newman — Trustee. Many years' experience in housing and care, supporting disabled and mentally ill people, including family advice and support.

K. Teimourabadi — Trustee. Handles administration and communications, with experience in data management, websites, and finance.

Housing Need is committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of everyone we support. Many of the people who contact us are in vulnerable circumstances — facing homelessness, family breakdown, or health difficulties — and we take our responsibility to keep them safe seriously.

Our commitments:

• Our safeguarding lead, P. Lyon (Chair), is DBS-checked and oversees how we handle sensitive cases.
• We listen to people without judgement, and never pressure anyone into a decision.
• Information shared with us is kept securely and confidentially, and is never shared with another organisation without the caller's knowledge (see our Privacy Policy).
• If we believe someone is at immediate risk of harm, we will encourage them to contact emergency services and signpost them to the appropriate local safeguarding authority.
• We only ever refer people to established, recognised housing associations, local authorities, and charities — never to unverified individuals or organisations.

Raising a concern: If you have a safeguarding concern about someone you know, or about how Housing Need has handled a case, contact P. Lyon (Chair) at info@housingneed.org.

Policy reviewed: [August 2026] — reviewed annually by the trustees.