Pathways to independence for 16 & 17 year olds in housing need

April 2009

Introduction

In 2006, the Council and Your Homes Newcastle developed a newpathway for 16-17 year olds to move into settled housing, aiming to prevent young people becoming homeless of having to apply as homeless. In September 2007, 16 -17 year olds became eligible to join the Your Choice Homes(YCH) scheme to access social housing in the city. Other revisions in this version take account of changes in agencies working with young people in the city.

Young people canstill apply as homeless, but the Pathway Plan makes better use of supported accommodation and other resources. It also helps young people in housing need who are not homeless to move into independent accommodation and out of supported accommodation.

Access to accommodation is based on an assessment of a person’s needs and abilities. Use of supported accommodation ismaximised as people work through a programme that addresses the reasons why seeking independent living may be premature.

The Pathway is based on a joint approach between the Council, YCH, Your Homes Newcastle (YHN), the client and a support agency. The process aims to best meet their housing and support needs, while developing the individual’s abilities to achieve the best possible level of successful independent living. This process creates a positive route to sustainable independent living that makes the best use of all the housing-related support available and not just relying on Council housing and the homelessness route.

We are working in partnership with our colleagues in the voluntary sector, Supporting People, and the Leaving Care and Youth Offending Teams, to create a continuum in the housing market that allows progression from supported housing and care into independence. Our aim is to address the reasons for people being excluded from accommodation, and to develop Support Plans to allow people to access mainstream housing. This process depends on the development of a co-ordinated support planning pathway that involves the whole housing sector. It also aims to reduce repeat homelessness.

Support is aimed at sustaining independence and addressing the vulnerability that leads to homelessness, not just advocating for the client’s right to make a homeless application, but also meeting the person’s long term support needs.

In summary, the Pathway involves the assessment of a young person’s ability to live independently and of the support required to facilitate this. The assessment is carried out by YHN Young People’s Service team, working in partnership with housing providers funded by Supporting People (SP). The SP Support Plan moves with the person through to independence. The person’s needs are tracked by the SP agencies, providing floating support as needed to overcome obstacles to the person sustaining the tenancy.

We have also developed, with YHN and other agencies, the Preventing Eviction Protocol which encourages collaboration between agencies to prevent vulnerable YHN tenants from losing their home, focusing particularly on people who have been homeless in the past.

Why we are doing this?

To better meet the needs of young people

Many people who have got tenancies at 16 find themselves before long burdened with debt. This can mean that they are later denied access to housing because of the problems they had when they were not ready for the responsibilities of being a tenant.

Evidence from homeless applications and consultation with young people involved in Youth Voice has shown us that many long term problems can be created by giving a tenancy to a 16-17 year old that is not ready for or adequately supported to live independently. Invariably, those young people who get a tenancy through homelessness are amongst those in the greatest need, but we focus more on their accommodation and not enough on a package to meet accommodation and support needs. As a result, we have been criticised for setting people up to fail.

Changes inthe housing market

Newcastle no longer has a surplus of available housing. At present there are 5000 fewer units of accommodation than there were 5 years ago. This is a positive indication of regeneration and we hope not to return to having thousands of empty homes and unpopular estates.

To prevent and reduce homelessness

One consequence of this change is that we have to make much better use of our available resources and prevent homelessness and repeat homelessness. We must work in partnership to address the root causes of the vulnerability that leads to homelessness, rather than moving people around to satisfy their immediate needs.

We must also make better use of our supported accommodation by encouraging and supporting people to successfully move to independence. Whilst there have been improvements in the last year, this is still not the primary aim of all supported accommodation providers. If we fail to do this it canresult in people sleeping rough.

We must also ensure that young people who have no choice but to live independently due to their family circumstances should have under 18 Pathway access to appropriate support to enable them to live in the community.

It is unlikely that, given the disproportionate amount of supported accommodation in Newcastle relative to the rest of the region, that we will see a significant increase in the supply of accommodation. We must therefore make better use of existing resources.

Central Government direction

A number of directives from the Communities Local Government (CLG) make it clear that the prevention of homelessness should be the primary aim of housing authorities. The use of Best Value Performance indicators BVPI 213and BVPI 214(now built into quarterly homelessness data collected by CLG) on the prevention of homelessness and repeat homelessness means that local authorities mustshow the progress made on tackling homelessness. CLGis very clear that funding of homelessness initiatives is related to the prevention of homelessness as measured by the reduction in statutory homeless acceptances.

The Government has also issued a challenge to local authorities to continue to reduce rough sleeping, and to halve the numbers of households in insecure temporary accommodation by 2010 compared to the number accommodated in December 2004. In Newcastle this would mean reducing the total number to 26 households.

What the Pathway is built on

This Pathway has been built on the following:

  • The work of YHN Young People’s Service(formerly Inline) in partnership with the Council (which has seen a significant decrease in homelessness amongst under 18s over the last 2 years)
  • The introduction of new Supporting People contracts which aim to promote the best use of support and accommodation, and to increase positive moves to independence
  • The review of Your Choice Homes, the Council’s housing allocation policy

What the Pathway means for agencies working with young people in Newcastle

HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION TEAMS – Young People’s Serviceand HAC:

YHN Young People’s Service now see all 16 & 17 year olds who come to the Housing Advice Centre (HAC) to:

  • Assess their needs
  • Work with them and their families to prevent homelessness
  • Identify the most appropriate route to settled housing, and the most appropriate accommodation agencies and support packages to meet their needs

Under the Pathway, YHN Young People’s Service continues to see young people who are homeless, who have an urgent housing need, or who need housing advice. Young People’s Service also assesses all applications made by all other under 18s to YCH, unless they have been assessed by a Pathways Assessment Agency(PAA) see below) who is supporting their application for an YHN or Housing Association tenancy. HAC staff continue to make homelessness decisions for under-18s, based on information and assessments provided by Young People’s Service staff.

YHN Young People’s Service Manager makes the decision to award a welfare priority for under-18s based on information and assessments provided by YHNYoung People’s Service staff.

PATHWAYS ASSESSMENT AGENCIES

These are the supported housing and floating support providers, and statutory agencies, working with under-18s (see box below). This includes organisations which work only with young people and those which work with other age groups as well. In most cases, these organisations are funded by Supporting People or by a different fund administered by the local authority to support young people who have housing and support needs.

Supported housing providers
Norcare Outpost
Women’s Aid Haven Tyneside
Stonham Tyneside Foyer Praxis
Cedar House Newcastle Supported Lodgings
YHN Young People’s Service Panah
Depaul UK Depaul UK Nightstop North East
BykerBridgeHousing Association
St Cuthbert’s Care
Statutory Agencies Floating support providers
Leaving Care Support Team YHN Young People’s Service
Youth Offending Team Stonham Housing Association
Hill Court and New Bridge Street DepaulUK

Pathways Assessment Agencies work with the young person to help them prepare for independence. They complete a support plan with the young person, and send a summary of their recommendations to support the young person’s application for Your Choice Homes. YHN Young People’s Service carry out a Safer Estates Check where there is grounds to carry one out, and include case worker’s summary and recommendations.

OTHER AGENCIES

Other agencies, including advice agencies and youth work organisations, work with young people to help them prepare for independence, but crucially refer them into the Pathway by making a referral to YHN Young People’s Service at the Housing Advice Centre, or through YCH application. If it is part of their role to look at life skills, other agencies are asked to complete the support plan/pathway plan and pass this on to a supported housing organisation where the young person is staying, Young People’s Service, LCT, or YOT if they are supporting the young person.

Agencies able to refer into the Pathway include:

SCARPA YMCA Detached Youth Project
West End Youth Enquiry Service Streetwise
Connexions Direct and Connexions Youth Inclusion Project
Newcastle Play and Youth Service NECA
West End Women and Girls’ project Depaul UK Baseline
NACRO E2E
P4P Fairbridge
Voluntary Sector Youth Agencies

YOUR HOMES NEWCASTLE

YHN staff refer all young people aged 16 or 17 who contact them for help with housing to Young People’s Service, YHN Advice and Support Workers refer young people aged 16 or 17 to the YHN Young People’s Service.

Guidance Notes for Pathways Assessment Agencies

There are two possible routes for a young person to take:

Route A: If the young person is in crisis or in imminent housing need or requires intervention to prevent homelessness, agencies will make an appointment for him/her at HAC (Monday – Friday 1pm – 4pm) to be seen byYHN Young People’s Service worker as part of their Homeless Prevention work. YHN staff should advise the young person to make an appointment at HAC as soon as possible.

An assessment of need via the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) process and a home visit is carried out by YHN Young People’s Service to establish risk or need for immediate accommodation or to give advice.

If the young person has accommodation for that night, a home visit will be arranged.

YHN Young People’s Service staff complete the YCH form and arrange verification.

YHN Young People’s Service staff will refer to HAC staff if emergency accommodation is required.

Route B: If they are not in crisis, the young person completes an YCH application, which is sent to YHN Young People’s Service to register within 5 days. YHN Young People’s Service arranges verification checks to be carried out,even if they are from outside the City. All applications from 16 & 17 year olds are assessed by YHN Young People’s Servicethrough CAF, and appointments are given within 7 days, to establish if there is a need to access accommodation, and to check that any floating support needs can be met and a support package put in place.

Route B also includes people moving from supported accommodation.

For both Route A and Route B, where a home visit to be made by YHN Young People’s Service, it involves an assessment of the following:

a)Whether mediation is an option, or if the person can return home without any further input

b)If not, what the family and young person want to happen

c)How long the young person can remain at this address (family/friends/extended family)

d)Assessment of whether young person needs to be referred to supported accommodation or supported tenancy, or could manage a tenancy without support

e)An assessment of support needs and referral are made to the most appropriate or the organisation to provide this

For young people moving on from supported accommodation:

A supported application to YCH from Assessment Agencies is sent to YHN Young People’s Service with a copy of the support plan establishing that the young person is capable of managing a tenancy and recommending this to YCH.

For young people being supported by one of the statutory agencies:

If the young person is supported by YOT, the YOT worker will assess whether the young person needs to come through route A or B.

In the case of the young person leaving care, the Leaving Care Support Team would complete a Pathway Plan,YCH application to YHN Young People’s Service. Young People’s Service then meets with the support provider and young person as part of YHN advice and support services to establish:

  • that the young person is competent to manage a tenancy
  • what support would be provided on an ongoing basis
  • who would provide the support

Outcomes:

The young person and his/her family are provided with a written outcome, and are advised what they can do if they do not agree with the decision. This letter will come from Housing Advice Centre in the case of a homeless applicationor YHN Young People’s Service in the case of a welfare priority or no priority decision. The range of outcomes is:

1. No Further Action: when the reality of living independently is explained, this can often lead to the young person reconsidering their application. They may make an application to YCH at a later date.

2. Family mediation can be offered for up to four appointments to prevent homelessness, including mediation work with parents. If the situation is resolved because family mediation if offered, they will also be advised that they can contact YHN Young People’s Service directly if their situation changes.

3. Referred to supported accommodation. The young person and family will be given a written explanation why this route is offered, what they can expect from providers and what planned move on would be.

The supported housing provider will complete a Support Plan with the young person within 28 days of moving in. This includes all areas deemed as essential as part of the Pathway to Independence, and possible timescales for moving on.

4. Floating support in an YHN or RSL tenancy with support from one of the listed support agencies. Support is offered based on the support plan until the young person is able to live independently without support. They will be made aware that any offer of accommodation is dependent on their willingness to engage with the level of support agreed to meet their needs.

Support Plan

As we know, young people who are prepared adequately for independence have a higher level of success. The young person is expected to engage in preparation for independence sessions to cover:

  • Budgeting, Benefits & Income
  • Tenancy Agreement & responsibilities
  • Practical matters; furnishing a home, fuel connection, safety and security
  • Accessing support and working with authority figures
  • Health
  • Being part of the community
  • Education, training & employment

Support

Support will be provided to the young person through a recognised support provider.

The support provider will convene a planning meeting if necessary to confirm what involvement other agencies will contribute.

The Support Plan will be reviewed at least twice a year in line with Supporting People Quality Assessment Framework requirements.

Access to Your Choice Homes

If the recommendations from CAF assessment are that they are ready for independent living,the young person should be housed through a tenancy with YHN or Housing Association through one of two routes:

  1. Homeless priority: all young people under 18 who are accepted as homeless under the Housing Act 1996 will be able to register with YCH for with a Homeless Priority and should be supported by the agency working with them to express interest in properties.
  1. Welfare priority: young people who are recognised as needing to move on from supported housing or needing to move out of home but who are not homeless can access a tenancy as a welfare priority. PAA to fill in Welfare Priority Recommendation Form and send to YHNYoung People’s Service with application form. Young People’s Service will organise for the Welfare Priority to be awarded.
  1. No priority: where a homeless or welfare priority is not awarded, the young person will be able to apply to YCH. Young People’s Service will note requirements for future support on Northgate.

NB. Not all Housing Associations provide accommodation for young people under 18 and some may ask for a trustee or guarantor however this is not always the case and contact should be made with individual housing associations to establish this. As a general rule both Places for People and Home Housing accept young people under 18. NomadE5, and Cheviot’s lettings policy states that they only accept applications from people over 18.

Action to be taken by YHN where a Housing Management Let is awarded:

In the rare case where a housing management let is awarded to provide accommodation outside of the YCH process,YHN Homeless Co-ordinators will decide which neighbourhood(s) would be appropriate to send the application to. Any problems with this will be discussed at their monthly meeting, or with the Pathways agency at the monthly Allocations meeting.