When Supported Lodgings is done well, it delivers more than just safe accommodation. It builds trust, stability, and purpose - for everyone involved.
There’s a reason Supported Lodgings is gaining attention: it works. It delivers safety, stability, and success for young people on the edge of homelessness. It achieves outstanding outcomes, and does so with remarkable cost efficiency.
But it only works when it’s done well.
At Step by Step, we’ve spent over 25 years refining this model. We were the first provider in the country to gain Ofsted registration for Supported Lodgings, receiving top marks across every area. We manage over 150 placements and retain 97% of our hosts year-on-year. We don’t just deliver Supported Lodgings – we define best practice.
Supported Lodgings is the closest model to a family home for young people who cannot live with their own. It offers 16 to 21-year-olds a safe, stable home with a trained host, underpinned by professional wraparound support from Step by Step. This model is particularly well suited to care leavers, separated children (formerly known as Unaccompanied, Asylum Seeking Children) and others for whom returning home is not an option.
This is not fostering. This is care built on trusted relationships, designed for young adults on the brink of independence. It builds confidence, develops life skills and fosters lasting change. Where some models struggle to prepare young people for adulthood, Supported Lodgings delivers - and we have the results to prove it.
Step by Step has delivered Supported Lodgings for over 15 years and operates across:
We hold the distinction of being the first Supported Lodgings provider in the UK to receive Ofsted registration, an achievement that reflects the depth and quality of our model. This isn’t just a badge - it’s a benchmark. One we uphold with rigour.
With over 150 placements available through our Supported Lodgings network, we run one of the UK’s largest and most robust programmes. But size alone isn’t the achievement. Quality is.
Supported Lodgings is deceptively complex. You can’t simply match a young person with a spare room and hope it works. This isn’t Airbnb. It’s not ‘just a placement’. It’s a highly specialised and human model.
At Step by Step:
And it works. 97% of our hosts stay with us year after year - an extraordinary retention rate in today’s climate, and a reflection of the deep support and sense of purpose they gain through the role. Hosts thrive as well as the young people they support. They’re respected, trained, and supported with care, which is why so many remain part of the Step by Step family for years.
Supported Lodgings changes lives. Our impact data shows:
We hear from Commissioners time and again that our placements are the most stable, the most cost-effective, and the most human option they can offer.
“The recruitment of hosts for our new contract has exceeded all expectations, with two hosts successfully completing the onboarding process and a further two hosts working through the recruitment process.
“We look forward to working with Step by Step over the next couple of years and to see firsthand the positive outcomes Supported Lodgings can have for our young people."
– Local Authority Commissioner
Not every young person qualifies for statutory support. Some are over 18 and no longer the responsibility of their Local Authority. Others may be waiting for decisions on their status, or simply fall outside local thresholds. But their need for a safe, supportive home is no less urgent.
Thanks to the generosity of major donors and local and national businesses, Step by Step is able to offer Enhanced Supported Lodgings placements for young people who would otherwise be left behind. These placements provide the same stability, care and support as our statutory offer, but are entirely funded through charitable giving.
These placements cost thousands of pounds per year to maintain. But for the young people they serve, the return is immeasurable: a roof over their head, a trusted adult in their life, and a future back within reach.
If you’re looking to fund practical, life-changing support that fills the gaps statutory systems can’t, this is it.
We are:
We regularly contribute to national policy discussions, work with local and national media and collaborate with researchers.
“Working alongside the Step by Step Team to mobilise this contract has been a pleasure. It is clear from the outset that all their staff are passionate about young people and the services/support they offer."
