ProxyAddress

Sometimes, someone comes up with a solution to a problem that is so neat, so brilliant in its simplicity – so obvious – that it takes your breath away. Architect Chris Hildrey is such a someone, and ProxyAddress is that exactly that sort of solution. There are an estimated 320,000 people experiencing homelessness in the UK, and a further 1.1 million at risk of it. Homelessness is a vicious cycle. Someone with no fixed address is instantly cut off from benefits, employment opportunities, bank accounts, library access, GP services, post and local authority resources – severed from all the support they might need, at the point they need it most. Yet there are also thousands of vacant properties in the UK, owned by councils, housing associations, developers, and individuals – including 270,000 long-term empty homes. 

ProxyAddress takes these facts and ties them together to break the cycle. By allowing people to securely borrow a stable, donated 'proxy' address duplicated from an existing property, ProxyAddress reconnects them with the systems of society, restores access to support, and helps them find a route back out of homelessness. As it is a virtual copy of a physical address, it is attached to the person, not the place, so it can move with them wherever they go. All addresses are supplied with the consent of their owners and do not impact upon the physical address’ post, credit rating, or value – or the residents who might be living there – in any way.

We’re proud to support such a fantastic initiative; one which, frankly, shouldn’t need to exist, but – while our social infrastructure is broken – is absolutely essential. Having proven successful in a pilot programme in partnership with Lewisham Council, ProxyAddress is expanding nationwide, building partnerships with banks, libraries, homelessness charities, local government and national institutions to expand its scope and services. We’re with them every step of the way.

proxyaddress.org