Pathmeads, part of Genesis Housing Group, facilitated a two-day visit to London by French housing experts on 4 and 5 February to discuss London's approaches to tackling homelessness. The delegation consisted of representatives from a range of French government departments as well as from French homelessness charity, Association Emmaus.

The visit followed an event hosted in Paris in May 2008 by the Agency for the Improvement of Accommodation (ANAH). Pathmeads presented its approach to tackling homelessness to French government advisors, Paris city councillors, social housing developers and its national regulatory body.

John Pender, Quality & Performance Manager at Pathmeads, said, "There is a clear commitment in France to improve the quality of housing for homeless people, and we are delighted to be able to contribute towards, and learn from, this exciting new initiative."

The programme was organised by the French Embassy with the support of the Greater London Authority as part of a knowledge exchange visit with various agencies working to combat homelessness across London.

The objective for the French delegation was to discuss and learn more about innovative approaches to tackling homelessness in London.

Pathmeads is a leading provider of property management services for around 20,000 homes. Its operations include developing a range of 'temporary to settled' leasing schemes and manages empty homes across the South of England.

At a roundtable discussion on leasing properties and letting them to homeless families, Pathmeads told the delegates about its approach to preventing homelessness and improving the quality of accommodation for homeless families.

The French authorities are keen to improve the standard of temporary accommodation and are piloting a private sector leasing scheme starting with 200 units in Paris. Emmaus will be one of the key players involved in making this happen. They heard at first-hand the challenges and benefits of similar models in London during their visit and the key areas for consideration in implementing such a model.

Pathmeads provided a translation service throughout the two-day programme, and organised and chaired the roundtable discussion. This discussion was co-ordinated by the National Housing Federation's Temporary Housing Practitioners Group as part of its ongoing work on improving the quality of temporary housing in London.

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For media enquiries contact Diana Evans on 020 7563 0028 / diana.evans@ghg.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Pathmeads is a leading provider of property management services for around 20,000 homes. Its operations cover a number of key areas, including:

• Temporary housing provision whereby Pathmeads manages privately leased homes around London;
• A contracts division which manages homes for other landlords, such as local authorities, housing associations, primary care and NHS trusts, developers and private investors;
• Managing a pilot Settled Lettings Agency scheme on behalf of the Communities and Local Government department and five south east London local authorities;
• Has developed a range of 'temporary to settled' leasing schemes;
• Works with local authorities across the south of England on refurbishing and managing empty homes;
• Provides a range of contract management, block management and mixed tenure management services for local authorities and private investors.

Genesis Housing Group provides homes and services to tens of thousands of people across London and the south east, with the overiding aim of putting customers first and providing excellent service to all. The Group consists of PCHA, Pathmeads and Springboard housing associations. Genesis also has a charitable foundation, Genesis Community and is one of the largest and most diverse housing groups in the UK, owning and/or managing more than 38,000 homes.