If you are aged 16 to 18 and have been asked to leave home or it is unsafe for you to be there, there is support that you can access locally. It is best to get support as early as possible (for local contact details Click Here) as you may be able to be supported to return home, if it is safe for you to do so.
If however you are unable to return home, you are entitled to support with your accommodation and in this section is information on who can support you and what support you will receive. There are also video clips from young people who have been through the different routes.
What happens if you don’t use the support you are being offered
One of the most common reasons that young people don’t find themselves somewhere to live or lose accommodation once they’ve become homeless is because they have not taken up the support and advice that was on offer to them. This can have serious consequences and you can lose accommodation if you don’t take up the support that is on offer or not move on to the type of accommodation you want.
Reasons why you might not take up support……?
- You don’t agree with what the Worker/Keyworker says you need
- You are not ready to change your behaviour or you believe it will be too difficult (like stop using drugs, or getting into fights)
- You don’t like the people offering you support
- You want to be off doing other things with your mates or just can’t be bothered
Some advice to think over……..
- If you don’t agree that you need support with something let your worker know. If you don’t like the sound of a housing project, they will arrange for you to visit and provide as much info as they can on the project. Sometimes when you don’t know or understand something you just reject it as it feels a bit scary. You will be the key in deciding what goes into your support plan, make sure you use this opportunity and say if you don’t agree with something. There may be another way forward or agreement you can make with your worker. You don’t know until you ask!
- If you feel something is too difficult like making a claim for JSA/Income support at the job centre don’t be afraid to ask for support with this. Lots of young people won’t go to the job centre on their own or fill out long applications. If you are not ready to stop doing something other people find is a problem, be honest, talk it through, its better to be up front than regret it later down the line, you might be able to agree a way forward with your Worker.
- If you don’t like the person that is offering you the support, then in a polite way tell them or another worker what’s on your mind, sometimes a new worker can be found.
- In reality there will always be plenty of time for your mates. You might need to think ahead a bit, and compromise.