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Providing housing hope for young people
To mark #StartsatHome day to show the benefits of supported housing, Andy Ward discusses the importance of young people’s foyers in giving residents the right start in life
At 21 years old it’s traditional for families to give their children the key to the door.
At our foyers we provide our young people with house keys at 16 and aim to offer our residents the confidence to live independently by managing budgets, cooking healthy meals and improving employment opportunities.
“Our role is to give hope and aspiration to our residents”
Foyers provide temporary supported housing for young people for a maximum of 18 months.
Our offering is far more holistic than that and our role is to give hope and aspiration to our residents and equip them with the practical skills and confidence needed to succeed in the world.
This year our foyers turn 21-years-old. To prepare for this we undertook a year-long root and branch review of our organisations which care for more than 150 people a year.
Helping young people succeed
Our motto is – we create more places for people to thrive. What do we mean by this? We offer high-quality affordable housing options for those that need it and the safety and security for vulnerable young people and their families.
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We invest in our properties and local communities to improve young people’s prospects.
As a housing association we don’t just sell or let homes, our supported housing schemes help some of the most vulnerable in society, providing shelter and support when they need it the most.
We are members of the Foyer Federation, which is a network established to share best practice among all young people’s supported housing providers across the country.
Reviewing our operations
Although we are already very proud of our foyers and they have always been accredited, a nine-month review allowed us to analyse and reflect on our focus.
It’s important we meet the development needs of young people in their transition.
We want to ensure our centres are fit for purpose and our offer is effective enough to build relationships with young people.
Currently, a number of organisations are running some remarkable campaigns, highlighting the importance of supported housing but there is still work to do.
My role
My experience of working with young people started at Bridge Foyer in Chester, a residency which rehomes 31 young people from diverse, mixed and complex backgrounds. There are endless reasons a young person might need our services.
“Tackling a mental health problem can be extremely troubling for a teenager and it is important they do not feel alone.”
Often, our residents do not have parents or a guardian they can rely on; a member of their family might be having issues with drugs, or perhaps they themselves are battling a mental health issue. There is never a ‘one rule fits all’ approach for young residents, every individual has a different story, which is why we offer young people a home without a time limit. Young people who reside with us are not moved along as part of a process, they move forward at their own pace.
Success stories
One of our residents at Bridge Foyer was recently successful in their first job application, a key milestone for the individual and the reason I do my job. She was experiencing anxiety issues and talked herself out of attending a job interview.
After some encouragement from the foyer staff, she decided to get in touch with her interviewer and due to her hard work, attitude and skills, was awarded a job which will kick off her career.
She is now progressing quickly in the organisation she works for and has made friends who she often socialises with.
It is cases like this that emphasize the importance of our work, tackling a mental health problem can be extremely troubling for a teenager and it is important they do not feel alone.
Last year a campaign, led by the National Housing Federation rallied 55 MPs to Westminster to raise their concerns about the Local Housing Allowance cap and how it might impact the future of the sector.
The campaign demonstrated how young people’s services have a significant impact on an individual’s life and future.
Residents who blossom
We welcome updates from our former residents, it gives us reassurance we’re doing our job well by helping people move forward with their life.
Recently, a former customer got in touch with us. She resided with us 16 years ago and is now 32 and has a young daughter.
She told me how she learnt so many social and life skills during her time with us - cooking, studying, budgeting, socialising and integrating with others.
“We need to share stories, experiences and knowledge to change the lives of disadvantaged young people in the UK”
She credited the foyer for ‘being who she is today’ and emphasised that staff on the frontline acted as ‘professional parents’ and aim to give young people the best start to adulthood.
Belief in our aims
I am extremely proud to be part of something which will ultimately help shape a young person’s life. I have full faith in our supported housing teams.
We all want to improve our services and make our accommodation the best it can be. I believe being scrutinised by the new Foyer Federation accreditation process will enhance our practices.
The service we offer is subsidised and has consequential costs for us but there is no question that every young person’s foyer is invaluable and makes a huge contribution to communities across the country.
Those of us who work in the sector need to share stories, experiences and knowledge to change the lives of disadvantaged young people in the UK.
When I’m asked about what a housing provider does – I mention examples of our work at foyers and proudly say ‘we create more places for people to thrive.’
Andy Ward, young people’s services manager, Your Housing Group
