Leading UK charity will use proptech platform to manage properties and connect to local contractors.

Plentific and Centrepoint have today announced a partnership which will see the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity use Plentific’s platform to manage the repairs and maintenance of its hostels for homeless young people. Through the platform, Centrepoint will be connected to a marketplace of approved local contractors and be provided insight about the repairs and maintenance operations of its accommodation.

More than 120,000 young people faced homelessness in 2019 and Centrepoint has warned that this number is likely to have increased due to the pandemic. During the first lockdown, calls to Centrepoint’s Helpline increased by more than 50 percent, compared to the months leading up to it, and the latest rough sleeping figures show that as many as one in 10 people sleeping on the streets in the capital are under 25. Centrepoint runs hostels across the UK supporting homeless young people into a job and a home.

In order to provide the best possible environment for the residents to thrive, Centrepoint is committed to providing well-maintained and safe spaces for them. However, managing the repairs and maintenance of multiple properties is challenging for housing organisations. The work is often high in volume and requires multiple systems to log and action jobs. Plentific’s technology streamlines the process, providing a single, intuitive platform to manage each step and reduces the average repair time from 13 days to 72 hours. Centrepoint will now be supported by Plentific’s technology to manage the repairs and maintenance work of its accommodation for the young people it supports. Through the platform, the charity will be connected to a marketplace of fully-vetted, local trade professionals able to carry out local jobs and will have greater oversight of all the works in progress and required through a single dashboard.

Ed Tytherleigh, Director of Support & Housing at Centrepoint said: “It is a privilege to announce that we will be partnering with Plentific to deliver our repairs and maintenance work. Plentific’s work will be transformative in the way we manage our properties and will provide an even better environment for our young people, allowing them to prosper and grow as they move away from homelessness and other significant challenges they face.”

As well as digitalising the repairs and maintenance process, Plentific will also provide Centrepoint with unparalleled insight into how its properties are performing. This information will enable its property managers to better understand its needs across the entire estate and make more informed decisions, allowing the team to spend more time on the work that matters - supporting young people in transforming their lives.

Cem Savas, CEO and Co-Founder at Plentific said: “The work that Centrepoint does to provide assistance for homeless young people is inspiring and we are proud to support the team in their efforts. Having a safe place to live is absolutely essential to people’s wellbeing and our platform will help to ensure that Centrepoint’s clients are provided with the best possible environment as they build their lives. Our mission is to make housing work better for everyone and I can see no place where the need is greater than for those who may otherwise be homeless.”