Homelessness pathway

Homelessness prevention starts with easier access to support

Housing and homelessness teams are under increasing pressure to support more people with fewer resources. Rising demand, stretched budgets and fragmented services can make it harder to intervene before housing situations escalate.

At the same time, application processes, evidence requirements and administrative tasks can overload teams, reducing opportunities for proactive casework and leaving services stuck in a reactive cycle.

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Homelessness support

The system shouldn't be another barrier

Lightning Reach is the only platform that helps organisations find, assess and deliver homelessness and housing options support. Teams can support residents directly, make warm onward referrals, and see how support is progressing, all in one place.

By making it easier for people to access grants, benefits, and in journey advice for applicants, housing teams can help prevent homelessness earlier while reducing pressure on frontline services.

Housing support conversation

How we help

Give people one simple way to access support, while your team gains the tools to intervene earlier and work more efficiently.

Support people earlier

Empower residents to identify personalised grants, benefits and financial support that enhance personal housing plans, helping prevent challenging situations from escalating into homelessness presentations and reducing pressure on housing services.

Streamline homelessness applications

Collect evidence upfront and guide people through tailored support pathways based on their circumstances. Reduce triage burdens, improve turnaround times and create more opportunities for meaningful casework, while helping ensure people receive equitable support as quickly as possible.

Evidence outcomes with confidence

Understand what support people are accessing, identify gaps in provision and demonstrate the impact of preventative interventions.

Coordinate support across services

Connect housing, financial support and community organisations through warm referrals and shared progress updates, helping people get the right support without repeating their story.

Supporting housing and homelessness teams

Explore case studies of how organisations are helping people access support earlier, reducing demand and improving housing outcomes.

OVO: a new blueprint for delivering support in the utilities sector

See how OVO uses Lightning Reach to deliver £7.6m in direct support, simplify referrals and help customers access financial support in just 1-2 days.

Lambeth Council: Transforming access to housing and financial support

Discover how Lambeth Council is transforming access to housing and financial support with Lightning Reach. Learn how Lambeth Council is improving resident support.

Support Partner Spotlight: The RAF Benevolent Fund

We spoke with our Support Partner the RAF Benevolent Fund about their experiences using the Lightning Reach portal. The RAF Benevolent Fund started to use the portal in summer 2022 to administer their grants to help their service users access support available from their charity quickly and easily.Tell us about your charity and who you supportFor more than 100 years, the RAF Benevolent Fund has been supporting members of our RAF Family. We provide lifelong support to serving and ex-serving RAF p

Support Partner Spotlight: ABTA LifeLine

We spoke to our support partner ABTA LifeLine about how they have found working with Lightning Reach and using the portal. As a smaller charity established to support people who work or have worked in the travel industry, we heard from their Director Trudie Clements about how they have benefited from being on the portal.Tell us a little about your charity, who you support and what support you offer?ABTA LifeLine is ABTA’s (The Travel Association’s) charity for past and present employees of ABTA.

Support Partner Spotlight: Racing Welfare

We spoke to our support partner Racing Welfare about how they have found working with Lightning Reach and using the portal. Racing Welfare provide support to the workforce of the British horseracing industry and have several of their grants available for people to apply for on the Lightning Reach portal. We heard from Regional Welfare Manager Brian Watson about how they have benefited from being on the portal.Briefly tell us a little about your charity. Who do you support and how do you support

Partner Spotlight: TSB

We spoke to our partner TSB about how they have found working with Lightning Reach and using the portal. We heard from Partnerships & Open Banking Lead Adam Betteridge about how they have worked with Lighting Reach in delivering additional vital support to their customers.Briefly tell us a little about your company.TSB is a retail bank with a heritage stretching back to the start of the savings bank movement 200 years ago, that provides full banking services to more than five million customers.

Partner Spotlight: PA Housing

We spoke to our support partner PA Housing and heard from members of their Tenancy Sustainment Team about their experience working with Lightning Reach and how they have benefited from being on the portal. PA Housing is a registered provider of social housing offering more than 23,000 homes across the Midlands, London and the South East. PA Housing offers a support fund which residents can apply for through the Lightning Reach portal, and also assist tenants in applying for other support they ma

Partner Spotlight: Royal British Legion

Digital applications through the Lightning Reach portal have transformed Royal British Legion's (RBL) ability to provide support to individuals quicker and more efficiently, speeding up their processes and reaching a broader range of beneficiaries amidst the cost of living crisis.Increasing application numbers via the Lightning Reach portalRBL created their cost of living grants to help veterans, armed forces personnel and their families pay for everyday essential costs such as energy bills, foo

Enhancing support: innovative digital applications for RNBT

Discover how the Royal Naval Benevolent Fund innovated their digital applications with Lightning Reach, streamlining support for RNBT beneficiaries.

Teaching Staff Trust: “Our defining moment was partnering with Lightning Reach”

Since 2021, Teaching Staff Trust (TST) has partnered with Lightning Reach to streamline and enhance its financial support application process. TST provides vital assistance to individuals working, or who have worked, in various education roles, including nursery staff and teaching assistants.Improving efficiency with seamless application managementBefore partnering with Lightning Reach, TST faced challenges in securely accessing applicants’ bank statements, leading to delays in processing applic

Link Housing: engaging hard-to-reach social housing tenants with Lightning Reach

Discover how Link Housing transformed tenant engagement in social housing with Lightning Reach. Learn how social housing tenants found support independently.

How Lightning Reach transformed grant-making at The Salespeople’s Charity

We spoke to grant-making charity, The Salespeople's Charity, about how Lightning Reach has enabled them to triple their average grant awarded.

Lightning Reach & YES Energy Solutions: Scaling energy support with a smarter, faster digital pathway

Discover how Lightning Reach & YES Energy Solutions revolutionised energy support, offering a faster, smarter digital pathway for energy support.

Plus Dane: Empowering tenants to find support through data driven outreach

Discover how Plus Dane Housing empowers tenant support with data-driven outreach, ensuring tenant support is accessible and efficient.

The front line team using Lightning Reach to find financial support for Sunderland resident

Discover how Sunderland City Council's Lightning Reach to save time and connect residents to more financial help.

Chemical Engineers Benevolent Fund: instant grant delivery with Lightning Deliver

Discover how the Chemical Engineers Benevolent Fund revolutionised grant delivery with Lightning Deliver. Elevate your grant delivery process today!

Sunderland City Council: Lightning Reach is a “game-changer” for financial support

Discover how Sunderland City Council and Lightning Reach are working together to transform access to financial support.

CDER Group strengthens social value reporting and customer support with Lightning Reach

Discover how CDER improved their social value reporting and customer support with Lightning Reach.

Simpler applications, faster support: how South Tyneside Council is removing barriers to financial help

Discover how South Tyneside Council improved access to council financial support, accelerated crisis assistance, and connected residents to wider help with Lightning Reach.

Bespoke solutions for better outcomes

Everything your team needs to streamline applications, coordinate referrals and deliver support more effectively.

Features built for connected support

Lightning Reach brings together the tools and workflows your team needs to deliver support more effectively.

Features

Helping homelessness teams intervene earlier

69% reduction

In triage call time for Lambeth Council

55% reduction

In new placements into temporary accommodation for Lambeth Council

6% reduction

In households living in temporary accommodation for Lambeth Council

A better approach to homelessness prevention

Discover how Lightning Reach can help your organisation reduce admin, intervene earlier and support more people to stay securely housed.

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Plus Dane: Empowering tenants to find support through data driven outreach
The front line team using Lightning Reach to find financial support for Sunderland resident
Local authorities
Housing associations
Utilities
Charities
Homelessness pathway
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Lambeth Council: Transforming access to housing and financial support
Local authorities
Housing associations
Utilities
Charities
Crisis & Resilience Fund
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Sunderland City Council: Lightning Reach is a “game-changer” for financial support
Simpler applications, faster support: how South Tyneside Council is removing barriers to financial help
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Link Housing: engaging hard-to-reach social housing tenants with Lightning Reach
Simpler applications, faster support: how South Tyneside Council is removing barriers to financial help
Utilities
Local authorities
Housing associations
Charities
Partner Hub
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OVO: a new blueprint for delivering support in the utilities sector
Utilities
Local authorities
Housing associations
Charities