Supported Housing
75,000 young people experience homelessness in the UK every year; one third of homeless people have lived in care.
Coram gives young homeless people secure accommodation and ongoing support to restore their hope and protect them from the dangers homelessness may have exposed them to, such as sexual exploitation and violence.
What we provide
Young people leaving care and young people who find themselves homeless are referred to us by Local Authorities. We issue them with licence agreements in specialist supported houses and work intensively to develop their capacity to live well independently. Our houses offer much more than just a roof over their heads. We work to:
- Ensure each of our residents is provided with a dedicated social worker.
- Safeguard their vulnerabilities – working with young people to protect them from risk, such as domestic abuse and drugs.
- Address individual needs –working intensively to assess and address our young people’s needs, helping them to access education, seek employment and become financially responsible.
- Encouraging independent living – our individual and group sessions help young people understand their legal entitlements, support and opportunities available to them, and how to manage everyday domestic issues responsibly and independently.
- Provide ongoing support – when a resident has become a model tenant and feels ready to leave, we develop their move-on plan. Their local authority finds them permanent accommodation and we provide resettlement support for 3-6 months, or for as long as they need.
As part of this, we offer:
- A large single bedroom and shared communal facilities.
- Fun and practical group sessions such as multi-cultural cooking groups.
- Education and employability workshops including CV & interview techniques, literacy and numeracy.
- Volunteering services opportunities funded by V, which provide placements such as working in legal teams or assisting with corporate events.
- An understanding of their rights as tenants and their benefit entitlements.
It takes six-24 months for a young person to be ready to move into accommodation of their own – usually provided by a local authority – and when they do, we continue to support them as they settle into their new home.
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Find out more...
49 Mecklenburgh Square
London
WC1N 2QA
Tel: 020 7520 0300
Fax: 020 7520 0301
Email: chances@coram.org.uk