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Who taught you? Become a Supported Lodgings host and shape a young person’s life

Council News
00:00, Thursday, 20th April 2023

The Supported Lodgings scheme is designed to provide a stepping-stone for young people, on their route to independence. The fostering team at North Lincolnshire Council are providing information on this scheme during their Supported Lodgings Week, Monday 24 to Sunday 30 April.

Hosts open their homes to young people, aged between 16 and 24 years old, to help them learn a variety of valuable skills, including managing a household, cooking, budgeting, and accessing public transport.

The team will be attending the Discover event on Saturday 29 April 11am to 4pm, at UTC North Lincolnshire, 20:21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe Central and Church Square, Scunthorpe where you can meet them to talk about Supported Lodgings.

Emma, a North Lincolnshire Supported Lodgings host, said: “I find it very rewarding being a Supported Lodgings host and helping to make someone’s future more promising.

“You can’t change a past, but you can help a young person have a better future.”

Through Supported Lodgings, young people can gain advice and support from a caring adult. This allows them to move confidently into independent living as and when they feel prepared.

Some individuals may be care leavers and for others it may be impossible to return to the family home. The aim is to provide them with a comfortable room within a safe environment where they can develop the everyday life skills that they may not have previously experienced.

A young person living with a Supported Lodgings host, said: “I’ve spent six months living with my host, I go to college and have been learning how to cook.

“I think this scheme is very positive and it’s important to have hosts like mine; she has supported me, made my time easier and the house is very comfortable to live in.

“Supported Lodgings are very important for young people and later this year, I will be moving into my own place.”

A supported lodgings host will help a young person to:

• Sustain positive employment, further education and/or training
• Improve emotional wellbeing
• Develop the practical, social, and emotional skills needed for independence
• Reduce their vulnerability and loneliness and achieve social integration
• Reduce their need to stay in unsupported or insecure accommodation

Another host called Jean, said: “The process was interesting and when I was approved, I was really looking forward to being a Supported Lodgings host.

“The support I get is brilliant, I know that I’m not on my own with any situation and I don’t feel concerned because I can pick up the phone and I’ve got support.

“Living with these boys and hearing their stories reminds me how much they do need somewhere they can call home, somewhere they feel safe and cared for as some of them haven’t had that for a long time, if ever.

“Watching them grow in confidence and achieving their goals is extremely rewarding and it feels good knowing that by giving them that support I have played a part in them reaching independence.

“I do the same for these young people that I would do for my birth children and as far as I’m concerned, we are a family.”

Supported Lodgings hosts receive a range of support including a dedicated support worker, detailed training plan, support groups and a weekly allowance in addition to room rent.

If you think you could help to support a young person and teach them skills to aid their independence, enquire to find out more about becoming a Supported Lodgings host and what it involves. You can meet the team at Discover on Saturday 29 April, visit the Supported Lodgings webpage, email fostering@northlincs.gov.uk or call 01724 297024.