Homelessness prevention by Midlothian Council and the House Project

Settled homes for care leavers with peer support

The context

Research highlights the importance of safe, settled housing for young people moving on from care. But even in safe, settled tenancies, young people can experience isolation and loneliness. This can, at times, undermine sustainment. Midlothian Council acknowledged it had no consistent pathway to support care leavers into tenancies, resulting in high tenancy failure rates and recourse to the homelessness system. Care leavers on the Midlothian Champions Board also told local authority staff that they wanted more support with housing: these insights led the Council to develop one of Scotland’s first ‘House Projects’.

The intervention

The first House Project was devised in 2015 in Stoke-on-Trent as a new housing and support option for care leavers. It recognised the key benefits of a stable home, youth choice and agency, and consistent personalised support within a peer community. Funded by the UK Department for Education, the project aimed to secure ten tenancies which care leavers could work on getting ready to live in, whilst learning life skills in a peer group, which would provide longer-term support and connection.

House Projects have subsequently formed in other parts of England, supported from 2017 by a national hub (the National House Project), which coordinates training, guidance and practice-sharing. In 2020, with funding from Life Changes Trust, the first Scottish House Projects were launched in Midlothian, East Dunbartonshire and Fife. Midlothian’s project is led by children’s services, with referrals coming from 12+ practice teams, including for young people receiving Throughcare/Aftercare. Young people up to the age of 25 who are homeless and who have previous care experience can also be put forward.

A cohort of ten young people learn together on a programme, supported by community learning and a local community group. In partnership with social work and residential staff, House Project facilitators, with a smaller than average caseload, offer intensive support to each person. There is also an ‘open door’ Hub, where young people can seek support anytime. Secure tenancies are offered by the Council and Melville and Castlerock Edinvar Housing Associations. Young people have choice on location and the type of property they’d prefer, and are encouraged to participate in the decoration and interior design of their home.

Whilst House Projects differ according to local context, each one adheres to some key principles: a settled home for as long as the young person wants it; personalised, trauma-informed support; a Hub/base offering an indefinite ‘open door’; and a cohort of around ten care leavers willing to work together as a group and complete some (often quite informal) learning and training.

The outcome

In Midlothian, all nine young people who joined the first House Project cohort have moved into settled homes. Whilst too early to note long-term outcomes, each one completed the programme and is doing well in their tenancy. They have a positive group of friends with whom they maintain contact, and staff support. One young person who chose to live in a different local authority area has since decided to return to Midlothian and will receive continued support from the House Project with their relocation.

Outcomes recorded across UK House Projects to date (from 2015) show 166 young people have moved into tenancies in 12 project areas, from 29 cohorts. A further 99 young people are engaged in the programme, awaiting a home. 100% have completed education, training and employment modules. No tenancy has failed, and no House Project graduate has gone onto become homeless.

Key insights

House Projects can work well for care leavers who may have been deemed ‘challenging’ and ‘hard to house’, as they give primacy to youth choice and agency whilst offering unconditional support
….but it’s not Housing First: there are elements young people are expected to commit to and want to do – including be part of a peer group (though they can take a large or a very small part)
securing tenancies for participants has been a challenge in some English projects; Scottish care leaver protocols and social housing entitlements substantially expedite the project’s housing-led principles
a House Project may not suit every care leaver, but expands the range of choices care leavers can make

Find out more…

John Brown, House Project Team Leader, Midlothian Council Children’s Services
john.brown2@midlothian.gov.uk

Sue Hammersley, Director of National House Project
sue@thehouseproject.org