As the government intensifies its drive to end homelessness – most recently with a £340 million funding boost in July, taking total investment under its National Plan to End Homelessness to £3.9 billion – a new partnership is putting resources directly into the hands of the community organisations working closest to the problem.
The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) and charity School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) have launched a nine-month accelerator, the DPS Social Commitment Programme, that will fund and train 200 voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) leaders across England and Wales to tackle housing insecurity in their own communities. Participants will receive grants of up to £10,000, alongside hands-on training and mentoring, to design and deliver solutions rooted in local knowledge of what actually works. The partnership will also give employees at The DPS a direct route to get involved with funded organisations, making tangible contributions to the communities the company serves.
On his first day as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham used his opening speech outside 10 Downing Street to launch an urgent drive to end rough sleeping “at the earliest opportunity”. Locally embedded social enterprises are uniquely placed to address the causes and consequences of homelessness, combining job creation with the mental health, financial and housing support people need to rebuild stable lives, and to stay stable once they have.
The DPS Social Commitment Programme draws on SSE’s reach across every region of England and Wales, built through a network of around 7,000 SSE fellows over nearly three decades, so support reaches even the smallest, most localised communities.
SSE’s track record gives an indication of the scale of what’s possible: last year alone, it supported 1,381 leaders of social change across the UK and its work reached 806,000 beneficiaries in total.
The first cohort of 100 social enterprises will start the programme in April 2027; applications open in autumn 2026. Head to the programmes pages to find out more and apply.
Claire Dove CBE DL, Crown Representative for VCSEs, said: “VCSEs, particularly locally rooted social enterprises, are important links in the chain between the Government and the communities it aims to deliver impact in. The timing of this collaboration alongside the latest changes to procurement policy shows the third sector’s ability to innovate towards positive outcomes for the Government and communities across the country.”
Matt Trevett, managing director of Deposit Protection Service, said: “This partnership is about more than funding. It gives our people a direct way to support organisations working in the communities we serve and to make a practical difference to people facing housing insecurity. Housing insecurity sits at the heart of what The DPS exists to help prevent, so backing organisations with deep local understanding is a natural extension of our purpose.”
Alastair Wilson OBE, chief executive of School for Social Entrepreneurs, said: “What’s struck me most about this partnership is DPS’s authenticity and enthusiasm for making a genuine difference. Together, we want this programme’s impact to reach every corner of England and Wales, no matter how small or how local a community is. That’s where lasting change happens.”
Cemal Ezel, founder of Change Please, said: “School for Social Entrepreneurs gave me the space to turn an idea into Change Please, which is now supporting thousands of people who are homeless across eight countries. I know first-hand what’s possible when local organisations are given real backing to grow. This programme means 200 more social entrepreneurs will get that same chance to turn their understanding of their own community into lasting change.”