About Us
Experienced. Informed. Driven by Lived Experience.
With over 20 years’ experience in the supported housing sector, my expertise is built on
both professional knowledge and personal experience. Having worked across a wide
range of care and support services, I understand the challenges organisations face in
delivering high-quality, compliant, and person-centred support.
Throughout my career, I have supported homeless families, individuals experiencing
substance misuse, people with mental health challenges, refugees, children and adults
with learning disabilities, and older adults. This breadth of experience has provided
valuable insight into support delivery across Exempt Accommodation, CQC-regulated
services, charities, CICs, and community organisations.
James Cross
Lead Housing Consultant
info@jdhousingconsultants.co.uk
Why I Founded JD Housing Consultants
My understanding of supported housing goes beyond professional practice.
I have lived it.
Following a family breakdown, I found myself living in exempt accommodation in an
unfamiliar area while struggling with poor mental health, isolation, and a lack of
independent living skills.
I was left to survive, not supported to rebuild.
The property was unsafe and intimidating. Criminal activity was openly taking place,
visitors arrived at all hours, and there was a constant feeling of instability and fear.
Rather than receiving structured support during a vulnerable period of my life, I was left
to navigate everything alone.
Determined to improve my circumstances, I sought counselling through self-referral,
focused on rebuilding my mental health, and eventually secured employment.
Just one week into my new job, I was informed that I no longer qualified for housing
benefit and was expected to pay £1,000 immediately. Unable to do so, I was evicted
without warning.
Homeless again. Unable to continue working. Back at the beginning.
That experience fundamentally changed my understanding of what supported housing
should be and highlighted the devastating impact poor practice can have on vulnerable
people.
Our Mission
JD Housing Consultants was created from the belief that the sector can — and must —
do better.
Supported housing should never be about simply providing a room and collecting rent. It
should be about creating safe environments, promoting independence, delivering
meaningful support, and helping people build better futures.
Our mission is to help organisations deliver compliant, effective, and person-centred
housing services that work for both providers and residents. By combining professional
expertise with lived experience, we offer practical insight that helps organisations
improve standards, strengthen services, and achieve positive outcomes.
Because when supported housing is delivered properly, it doesn’t just provide
accommodation.
It provides a pathway forward.