Placement Findr began with one young person who needed somewhere safe to stay and a 28 night booking that I agreed to take, because someone asked me to help. That ‘someone’ is now my business partner today. There was no strategy, no talk of scaling, no vision of what the business would eventually become. I simply felt it was the right thing to do.
That single placement opened my eyes. Since then, we have completed over 200 crisis stays and achieved a one hundred per cent success rate, something I am incredibly proud of. Every one of those young people had come from circumstances that most adults would struggle to process. We were able to give them stability, routine and a sense of safety at a time when everything in their world felt uncertain.
From that beginning, the business grew into something far larger than I could have predicted. We now operate three divisions. We Care BnB, which focuses on crisis accommodation. We Care Property Sourcing, which helps care providers find long term solutions such as C2 registered homes, supported living settings and specialist properties. And our Business Development arm, which supports providers who want to grow but do not know where to start. Today we work with more than fifty Property Partners, four hundred contractors and around five hundred cleaning staff across the UK.
It has all happened at a pace I still struggle to get my head around, but throughout it all, the purpose has stayed the same. Help people who need it most.
I spend a lot of time speaking at property events. Recently, though, I have found myself stepping back, because the message being pushed across the industry troubles me. Everywhere I go, people are being encouraged to jump into social housing because the returns look attractive. It is presented as a clever investment angle rather than a responsibility.
The problem is not the money. The sector can provide a strong income, and I would never pretend otherwise. The problem is the mindset. Too many people are entering it without understanding the reality of what they are stepping into or the lives affected by their decisions.
The care system is under huge pressure. In 2024, there were around 84,000 children in need of care across the UK, yet only about 14,500 Ofsted registered places available. That gap is vast, and it keeps growing. Every time a placement breaks down, every time a child has to be moved at short notice, every time a provider cannot find a suitable property, the effect on that young person is huge.
This is the space we work in. The crisis gap that people prefer not to talk about. The sector the property world often overlooks because it does not fit neatly on a spreadsheet. And when I hear investors describe it as the next big opportunity, it misses everything that truly matters.
If you want to work in this space, your first question cannot be what you will earn. It has to be who you can help.
Anyone who has crossed paths with Placement Findr will know the name Ellie, but very few understand the extent of what she does. She is twenty three and runs more than thirty crisis placements, manages over forty units, supports Property Partners, attends viewings, handles damage reports, deals with neighbours, resolves conflicts and keeps the whole system running.
There are people in the industry who have built entire personal brands on far less. Ellie is not interested in attention. She shows up every day, does the difficult work quietly and with compassion, and holds everything together when the pressure is at its highest. Her background as a police officer gives her a calmness and sense of control that I rarely see in anyone else.
I often joke that I do nothing compared to her, but the truth is she is the heartbeat of Placement Findr. She deserves far more recognition than she gets, and this article is one of the few chances I have to shine a light on just how special she is.
Most serviced accommodation operators know exactly what they want. Contractors who stay for months, who leave the place tidy and cause no drama, and bring predictable income with minimal headaches.
Crisis placements are not like that, especially at the start. The first two weeks can be challenging. Young people come to us in the middle of trauma, uncertainty and often sudden upheaval. Their behaviour reflects their environment, not their character, and the early stage of any placement requires patience, understanding and a team who genuinely care.
But once things settle, something remarkable happens.
The placement stabilises, the young person relaxes and the property becomes a stepping stone to something better. Most stays last between six and eight months. The occupancy is full, the income is consistent, and at the end of it all you watch a child move into a residential home, a supported living setting or even adoption in a far better state than when they arrived.
They will probably never know your name, but your property played a part in changing the direction of their life. There are not many revenue streams that offer that kind of impact.
When people ask what Placement Findr is, I describe us as a bridge between property and care, offering routes into the sector that are meaningful rather than purely financial. Whether you are an SA operator, a landlord, a developer or a deal sourcer, there is usually a way to support the sector if you approach it with the right mindset.
If you have a property that may be suitable for crisis accommodation, we can assess it and help you prepare it properly. If you want to support long term placements for children who need C2 registered homes, we can source and place properties through our network. If you are a deal sourcer with access to specialist stock, we can help you move it in a way that changes the lives of several young people, not just your income that month.
I never get too specific because there are so many routes into the sector. What matters is your intention. If you come to us wanting to help people and run a sustainable business, we will always find a way to work with you. If the first question you ask is about profit, we are not the right fit.
Placement Findr is currently growing at around 22% each month, and the reason is simple. More care providers, local authorities and property partners now understand what we do and how we do it. We are not here to build a property empire. We are here to create stability for young people who would otherwise be left without options.
Growth only matters if it allows us to house more children safely. That has always, and will always, be the goal.
The more the business grows, the more impact we can have on communities, property partners and, most importantly, the children who rely on us.
If you are reading this as a property investor, developer or operator, here is what I want you to know. There is opportunity here, and the financial rewards can be strong, but none of that matters if you forget the human side of the work.
Every property we use becomes a lifeline for someone who needs it. Every placement gives a young person a chance to reset. Every landlord who chooses to help becomes part of a story they may never hear but will always be connected to.
If you want to be part of that story for the right reasons, my team and I are always open to a conversation.
Because that is what Placement Findr is built on. Compassion, responsibility and the belief that every child deserves somewhere safe to land when the rest of the world feels unsteady.
If that resonates with you, then you will fit right in.
