Supported lodgings for young people leaving care 

If you’re not ready to live on your own yet, supported lodgings can be a great stepping stone towards independence. You’ll have a safe and caring home to live in and your host will offer practical and emotional support to help you prepare for adult life.

Supported lodgings are when people and families (sometimes called “hosts”) offer to rent a room to a young person in need of accommodation, or who may be leaving care. So, you’ll have your own space and will get to live in a shared and supportive family home.

Hosts go through a suitability and approvals process and are provided with full support and training. Our supported lodgings team will also work hard to make sure they’re a good match for you and your needs.

They could help you by providing emotional support to build your confidence, as well as helping you with practical things like:

• Getting into education, training or work.
• Learning to budget and managing your money.
• Developing your cooking skills and doing housework.
• Attending appointments with you.

Get in touch to find out more.

Types of home can vary. For example, you could stay in a privately owned house or a rented flat. But all lodgings go through rigorous checks before your stay, so we know it’s a safe place for you to live.

When you move in, you’ll have a private room and a key to the home. You’ll be able to use the rest of the house’s shared areas such as the bathroom, kitchen and living room. You’ll probably be encouraged to have your own shelf in the fridge and space in kitchen cupboards, so you can cook for yourself.  

Supported lodgings are not permanent homes. It varies from place to place, but most people stay in supported lodgings between eight weeks and two years.  When it comes to your time to move on, you’ll be supported to help you make a successful transition.

Supported lodging hosts come from all walks of life. They can be single people, couples and families. They might be working full- or part-time, or retired. 

What they all have in common is that they enjoy supporting young people and understand some of the difficulties you might be facing. They’ll be prepared to commit time to support you. For example, they’ll be happy to help you develop life skills so you can be independent and encourage you to find education, training or work.

From our side we’ll work hard to make sure that your host is a good match for you and your needs. We’ll also make sure they pass health and criminal background checks. Plus, we’ll give them support and training covering topics such as safeguarding, equality and diversity, as well as health and safety so they are in the best possible position to help you thrive.

We know that every young person has unique needs and will want different support. Depending on what you need, your host will help you develop practical living skills, and they’ll help you emotionally prepare for independence.  During your stay, you’ll hopefully gain more confidence, develop your emotional resilience and learn how to look after your health and wellbeing. 

Life skills

They’ll also help you learn how to cook up a storm. They may show you how to plan and prepare meals, how to cook from scratch or simply show you cuisines and foods you might not have tried before. If you need to learn how to do household tasks like cleaning and laundry, they can help you with that too.

Managing your money

Learning to look after your money can be tough whoever you are. But we know from the young people we work with that many leaving care feel particularly unprepared to manage money because of how the care system works (Barnardo’s, 2023 [https://www.barnardos.org.uk/research/impact-cost-living-crisis-care-experienced-young-people]). Your host will teach you how to better manage your finances. They’ll work alongside your leaving care team, encouraging you to budget, save and get better value for your money. 

During your stay, you’ll be asked to make a small financial contribution to your host towards the cost of food and/or utilities. This is to give you practical experience of money management and making regular payments. This may be between £10-£25 per week, but this amount does vary between services. If you get in touch with your local supported lodgings service, they’ll be able to give you more information.

Employment, education and training

If you need it, your host could offer advice on career choices, helping you make decisions around employment, education and training. If you’re already studying, they might cheer you on and offer words of encouragement during exams or help you with university applications. 

Finding long term accommodation

Supported lodgings aren’t permanent homes and, eventually, you’ll have to think about your next steps. Your host may help you think about where you want to live next and be there as you look for your next place to live. 

We know that a caring, stable home environment can make a huge difference to young people. That’s why we have several supported lodging services across the UK. We work with people who can offer support and a spare room to a young person like you at a crucial time in their life. So, if you think living in supported lodging is right for you, please get in touch. 

Speak to your social worker, personal advisor or contact a Barnardo’s supported lodgings team near you.

Supported lodging isn’t the right choice for everyone. But there are other types of accommodation that you may be able to choose from. 

These include:

• Specialist accommodation: This accommodation is for young people who may have a disability or need support with mental health problems. For instance, the accommodation might be a self-contained flat with 24/7 support available. If this applies to you, speak to your social worker or personal advisor for more information.
• Shared accommodation: If you don’t feel ready to live alone, there is the option of sharing accommodation with other young people. This means that you will have your own bedroom but share other living areas like the living room, kitchen and bathroom
• Staying put: This means staying with your foster carer past your 18th birthday. You won’t be in care. No one can be in care once they turn 18 and are deemed an adult. Instead ‘staying put’ means you can rent a room with your foster carer and pay living costs. 
• To go back and live with your family: Depending on the reasons why you came into care, you may consider going back to live with a parent or another family member. If this is something you’re thinking about, it’s important to speak with your social worker, personal advisor, as well as the family members you plan to live with.
• We've also launched Gap Homes - a ground-breaking project that offers homely, affordable housing for young people leaving care.