If you are leaving care and are need housing advice and support, we can help you.
When you leave care, you will have to manage more things on your own but we will continue to support you. The level of support you receive depends on your status. Your status depends on your age, where you were in care and for how long.
You should have a personal advisor, an assessment of the support you need and a pathway plan that sets out how we will support you, including financial support. The pathway plan should be reviewed as required and at least every six months. This should be in place until you are at least 21.
Once you reach the age of 21 and if you are already in education or training, support will usually stop around the time of your 21st birthday. You should have a final meeting with your personal advisor who will talk to you about other services you may be able to get help with. However, if up until your 25th birthday you return to, or want education or training, you can come back to us and ask for support.
We work together to together to deliver advice and housing for young people and care leavers through the Young Person’s Pathway. Find out more on the Foundation website.
Your social worker should make a referral to the young persons’ Hub before you are due to leave care. You will meet with a young person’s worker who will talk through the options available and assess you for supported housing if this is an option that you want to consider.
We aim to find you a housing solution before you have to leave care so that you do not become homeless.
When you leave your care placement, we must ensure that the accommodation you move to is suitable. Moving straight from care to independent living is too big a step.
Depending on your needs, there may be a choice of:
Once you turn 18, some of the options listed above will be available to you long-term. You may choose to stay in your supported lodgings scheme rather than move to different accommodation. However, you could choose to move on to the next stage of housing options. These include:
If you are receiving benefits or on a low income, you are likely to be entitled to financial assistance towards your rent. Further details are in our housing benefit section.
If you are under 18, your rent will usually be paid by the local authority that is looking after you.
If you are looking to rent a private rented property, the maximum amount of help you can get is set by the local housing allowance. You can find out more on the local housing allowance page on the Government website. As a care leaver you will qualify for a self-contained one-bedroom property rate until your 22nd birthday.
You may also wish to start looking at suitable private renting options on websites such as Right Move or Spare Room.
Who you contact for support and how you access it is different depending on where you live in North Yorkshire.
Contact us. We can discuss your housing options with you.
Action Towards Inclusion provides keyworker support for individuals over 18 who are unemployed or economically inactive. Direct support is offered to help participants to progress into job-search, education, training and employment. Further details can be found on the Craven College website.
Contact us. We can discuss your housing options with you.
You can also self register for homelessness and get advice at the Housing Jigsaw website.
You can find out more in our self registration guide (pdf / 2 MB).
Contact us. We can discuss your housing options with you.
Contact us. We can discuss your housing options with you.
Contact us. We can discuss your housing options with you.
Action Towards Inclusion is an intervention service in the Harrogate, York, Selby and Hambleton areas. It provides keyworker support for individuals over 18 who are unemployed or economically inactive. Foundation will offer direct support to help participants to progress into job-search, education, training and employment. It also offers support to access partners who can provide specific activities aimed at removing barriers associated with health, finances and skills.
Referrals can be made through partner agencies or Foundation directly by asking to speak to a member of the access towards inclusion team.
Find out more about Action Towards Inclusion on the Foundation website.
Our core offer to care leavers page brings together all the services and support available in one place to help you achieve what you want from life.
No Wrong Door is a way of providing support to young people who are within or on the edge of the care system. It replaces traditional council run young people’s homes with Hubs which combine residential care with fostering.
There are two Hubs in North Yorkshire, one in Scarborough to serve the east of the county, while one in Harrogate serves the west.
This is a charity that works with young people in supported housing to help build confidence, develop skills and access education, employment and training. Referral is through the Young Persons Pathway only.
Springboard has been developed to help young people leaving care and care leavers reach their full potential. Project workers provide support and training to help you achieve personal goals.
If you are aged 16 to 25 you can get support and advice about housing at our special Hub for young people.