Housing for Care Leavers 16-20
Up until your 21st birthday, the Leaving Care Service has a legal duty to help you find ‘suitable accommodation’. Options we can explore with you include staying put with your former foster carer, living with a supported lodgings host, supported accommodation (also known as semi-independent accommodation), private rental, or going to stay with friends or family.
We have created a guide which which maps out the different kinds of housing and support that is offered to Children and Young People who are looked after by Hackney up to the age of 21. You can access it here: Guide to Young People's Housing Pathway
We have created a guide which which maps out the different kinds of housing and support that is offered to Children and Young People who are looked after by Hackney up to the age of 21. You can access it here: Guide to Young People's Housing Pathway
Financial Support
As an adult, you are liable for your rent once you turn 18. However, it’s possible and often likely that you will be eligible for financial support to meet these costs through Universal Credit. It is essential that you maintain your Universal Credit claim to not incur any arrears.
As a care leaver you are entitled to up to the ‘One Bedroom’ rate of the Local Housing Allowance up until your 25th birthday (see https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/ for more information). If you are working, depending on how much you earn, you may still be entitled to a rent contribution through Universal Credit. Your leaving care practitioner can help you explore this. If you are living in semi-independent accommodation, we will cover any difference between the Local Housing Allowance and your rent and pay for any support costs linked to the accommodation.
Setting Up Home Allowance
Should you secure long term 'permanent' accommodation which is assessed as being sustainable in the longer term, you will be eligible for a one of Setting Up Home Allowance.
This financial support is to be used to buy essential furniture and white goods for your new home. We will buy these goods directly from the supplier for delivery to you one they have been discussed and agreed with you.
In April 2023, the Department for Education made recommendations that the Setting Up Home Allowance should be increased to £3000 which was implemented and the following applies:
If you were born on the 31st March 2002 or before, you will be entitled to the old amount of up to £2000. However, should you secure social housing and require financial support with flooring, you are eligible to access an additional £500 flooring grant.
If you were born on the 1st April 2002 or after, you will be entitled to the new amount of up to £3000. However, you will not be eligible for the additional £500 flooring grant.
Living outside of Hackney
If you live outside of Hackney and do not intend on accessing Housing support through the Hackney Council in the future, it is important to register for Housing with your local Housing department from your 18th birthday. In some cases, your housing department may assess you as having a ‘Local Connection’ to the area and may support you with housing in the longer term. Your Leaving Care practitioner can support you with this.
Staying put
We know that if you have been in a settled foster home, the best plan may be for you to remain living there until you have finished education or achieved other goals that will help you move smoothly to independent living. If you and your foster carers express a wish to enter into a staying put arrangement, and we think it’s appropriate, we’ll provide advice, assistance and support to draw up a living together agreement in advance of your 18th birthday. Most staying put arrangements can last until you turn 21, but if you’re at university and in a staying put arrangement, you can remain there until the course has finished if this goes beyond your 21st birthday.
Your leaving care practitioner will support you to access all the benefits you’re eligible for while in your staying put arrangement, including claiming the housing element of Universal Credit. You’ll need to pay a portion of money from your wages or personal allowance from your personal allowance through Universal Credit as a contribution towards your ‘rent’ and pay any entitlement of the housing element of Universal Credit to your carer. If you’re a student in higher education and you return to your staying put arrangement during vacation periods, 40% of your termly education grant will be paid to your staying put carer to cover the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays and the difference will be paid by the local authority.
Supported lodgings
If it isn’t possible for you to stay with your carer, but it’s felt you’re not ready to move into semi-independent accommodation, your leaving care practitioner may consider supported lodgings for you. Supported lodgings are similar to staying put with your carers, but it means you move somewhere new to live. You’ll still be living in a family home and having the additional support that comes with being part of a family. You’ll need to pay a portion of money from your wages or personal allowance through Universal Credit as a contribution towards your ‘rent’ depending on how much you earn and pay any entitlement of the housing element of Universal Credit to your carer.
Supported Accommodation
Most care leavers are not yet ready to live totally independently, so you may well be offered the opportunity at some point to live in supported accommodation. This is likely to be shared accommodation with other young people, where additional support for things like budgeting and cooking, and to resolve any issues as they come up, is provided by staff who are either on site all the time, or who regularly visit the home. You are likely to be asked to pay a regular 'service charge' which is a small contribution to the bills of the home.
Renting Private Accommodation
If you are ready to live independently prior to your 21st birthday, private rented accommodation is an option, but it is important to ensure this is affordable depending on your income or the benefit cap and that the tenancy is through a credible landlord/letting agency. This will more than likely mean living outside of Hackney where accommodation is more affordable and it may also be shared accommodation. There will be additional expenses in terms of being responsible for all utility bills that you need to take into consideration when working out what you can afford. We will help you to think about when you may be ready to live independently, and if we agree this with you, we can help you by offering:
Support with your rent deposit and first month’s rent; and
A one off Setting Up Home Allowance (see above)
Your leaving care practitioner may be able to refer you to the Hackney Money Hub, a new team within Hackney Council. They work to support people who are struggling financially or those that are looking for extra help or advice with the benefits system. In some cases, they may be able to support you through one off grants in order to buy essential items for your property.
Similarly, let us know if you can’t move in straight away due to needing to decorate or have essential items installed like a cooker, we will support you with your rent where you are currently living for up to 2 weeks.
Settle
Once you have secured long term 'permanent' accommodation, we encourage you to speak to your Leaving Care practitioner about being referred to Settle, which is a charity which supports care experienced young people as they move into their first home. Settle offers intensive 1:1 support and coaching which is tailored to you. They can support you with things like:
Money management and budgeting
Getting into work and/or education
Cooking healthy and inexpensive meals
Managing your tenancy
Ensuring your in receipt of all of the benefits you're entitled to
Support with emotional and mental health, or substance abuse
More information can be found on Settle's website or through your Leaving Care practitioner
Whilst at University
If you decide to go to university, you’re not eligible for housing benefit unless you’re a parent – so you need to ensure that your rent is paid from your student loan and the education grant that we provide (for vacation accommodation). As a result, it is preferable to be in student accommodation and/or staying put, because semi-independent accommodation will not be affordable.
If you are living in student accommodation whilst in Further or Higher Education, we generally encourage you either to ‘stay put’ with former foster carers during holidays (which we can help organise), or to find some accommodation that includes the holidays. If you are struggling to do this, we can help you explore your options.
If you are moving between homes, or travelling abroad, and have nowhere to store your things for a period of time, we can offer you funding for up to 3 months so you can arrange storage.
