Supported lodgings are when people and families (sometimes called “hosts”) offer to rent a room to a young person leaving care.
You’ll have a safe and supportive home to live in and your host will offer practical and emotional support to help you prepare for adult life.
Why is supported lodgings important?
If you’re not ready to live on your own yet, supported lodgings can be a great stepping stone.
It allows you to live in a family home, and experience life in a shared and supportive environment. But you’ll have a bit more independence.
For example, you’ll contribute a small amount of money to your host to teach you how to budget and you may cook more of your own meals.
At least one of your hosts will be trained so they can offer you practical and emotional support.
They could help you:
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Get into education, training or work
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Manage your money
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Learn to cook and do housework
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Attend appointments
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Build your confidence
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Find a home
Who are the hosts of supported lodgings?
Supported lodging hosts come from all walks of life.
Single people, couples and families can all be lodgings hosts, and it doesn’t matter if they’re in full-time or part-time employment, or not employed.
Your host will:
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Be at least 21 years old
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Have a spare bedroom in their home
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Be able to provide you with a safe and stable environment
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Enjoy working with young people
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Understand the difficulties young people face
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Commit time to support you (for example, they’ll teach you independent life skills and encourage you to find education, training or work).
Your local council will work hard to make sure that your lodger is a good match for you and your needs.
They’ll undergo health and criminal background checks. Plus, they’ll get support and training covering topics such as safeguarding, equality and diversity, as well as health and safety.
Types of accommodations
Types of accommodation can vary. For example, you could stay in a privately owned house or a rented flat. But all accommodations will go through rigorous health and safety checks before your stay.
When you move in, you’ll have a private room and a key to the home. Plus, you’ll probably be encouraged to have your own shelf in the fridge, so you can cook for yourself.
How long can a care leaver stay in supported lodgings?
Supported lodgings are not permanent accommodation.
It varies from place to place, but most people stay in supported lodgings for between eight weeks and two years.
What type of support do hosts offer young people?
We know that every young person has unique needs and will want different support.
Here are just a few ways your host may help you:
Preparing for adult life
Supported lodgings will help you get to grips with the adult world.
Not only will your host give you the practical living skills you need to thrive, but they’ll help you emotionally prepare too.
During your stay, you’ll hopefully gain more confidence, more emotional resilience and learn how to look after your mental wellbeing.
Life skills
From budgeting and cooking to cleaning and laundry, your supported lodgings host will be able to teach you all the life skills you need to live independently.
For instance, they may teach 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.
Education
Your host may offer advice on career choices or help you with university applications.
They might cheer you on and offer words of encouragement during exams.
Even just living in a stable, supporting home might make it easier to concentrate on your studies.
Finding long term accommodation
Supported lodgings aren’t permanent accommodation 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 help you look for new accommodation.
Finances
Many care leavers feel unprepared to manage money - and it’s understandable.
It can be tricky paying rent, keeping on top of bills and managing your bank balance. However, your host will teach you how to better manage your finances.
Working alongside your leaving care team, they’ll encourage you to budget, save and get better value for your money.
During your stay, you will also be asked to make a small financial contribution to your host. This is to give you practical experience of money management and making regular payments.
The best thing about being in supported lodging is that everyone was friendly. They helped me get from being a young vulnerable person to being independent
Sophie
a young person who lives in supporting lodgings
Our supported lodgings services
We know that a supportive, stable home environment can make a huge difference to young people. That’s why we has supported lodging services across the UK
We work with people who can offer support and a spare room to a young person at a crucial time in their life.
So, if you think living in supported lodging is right for you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Speak to your social worker, personal advisor or contact a Barnardo’s supported lodgings team near you.
Other types of supported accommodation
Supported lodging isn’t the right choice for everyone. But there are other types of supported accommodation you can choose from.
These include:
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
What is a pathway plan and personal advisor?
Leaving care can be a big leap. But there should be a plan in place to make it a bit easier.
Employment and training for young people leaving care
Whether you want to stay in education, boost your employability skills or find a job, there's support available to you.
Financial support for care leavers
If you're a care-experienced young person, you may be entitled to financial support to help your education, training and employment, or for necessities such as food, transport and clothing.