Supported Lodgings - Helping Young People Reach their Potential!

• Do you have a spare room?

• Could you provide a bridge to independent living for a young person age 16-21?

The Supported Lodgings Service is about providing young people aged 16 – 21 the skills and experience they need to be able to eventually live independently by themselves.

Matching you and your lodger

We take a great deal of care in matching your lodger with you, and we involve you in the selection process. You yourself have the final say in who shares your home. We have taken time to get to know you and the kind of lodgings you can provide, and take into account your needs and the requirements of the young person. The greatest need in our area is for accommodation to suit young people from 16 – 18, usually coming out of foster care, but placements can be for people up to the age of 24 if the young person is in Higher Education.

We recently spoke to Laura and Busilana, who have been providing support lodgings for Hull City Council. Over the years they have supported several young people.

They explained how they have been supporting young people who are unaccompanied asylum seekers through, not only their processes, but supporting them being adults, helping them with basic skills such as how to cook and clean, how to budget, create routines, be confident and independent.

Laura tells us how "there are some challenges supporting people going through the asylum process, which is very dramatic in itself, and because of the pandemic people are waiting longer for decisions and the young people might have lived through war. We support them with that, but also we're given support from different professionals and projects in the city, that we can refer into, giving the young people someone to talk too."

Who can be a Supported Lodgings provider

We are looking to recruit suitable supported lodgings providers from the Hull and East Riding area who can provide a safe and supportive environment for young people leaving care or other young people who are unable to live at home.

You will need:

• To be over 21

• To have a spare room in your property

• Life experience of being independent

• To have the time and commitment to support a young person

Regardless of:

• If you own or rent your home

•Whether you work, are in education or unemployed

• Your sexual orientation, gender or religion

• You receive excellent support and a weekly financial allowance

You have your own allocated Supported Accommodation Worker and among the benefits you receive are:

• Financial allowance paid weekly at the equivalent foster care rates

• Continuous training appropriate to you if required

• Professional support from people who have wide experience in dealing with vulnerable young people

These questions can help you determine if you have the potential to be a Supported Lodgings provider -

• Do I have a spare room in my home?

• Do I like having young people around?

• Can I relate to young people and their lives?

• Do I listen and try to see other people’s points of view?

• Am I happy to pass on my skills and experience in a friendly way?

• Can I communicate effectively with different people?

• Am I willing to take advice from others?

• Can I be fair and firm when I need to be?

• Am I prepared to ask for help when I need it?

If you’ve answered yes to several of these questions, you have some of the requirements you’ll need as a Supported Lodgings Provider.

As long as you have the spare room, with training and support you can always develop all these qualities and more.

Contact us If you are interested and would like an informal chat or more information about Supported Lodgings then please contact us.

Telephone - 01482 612 800 Email - Fostering@hullcc.gov.uk