Young People Stories
Bradley* was made homeless at just 16 years old. Fortunately, Step by Step was able to offer him a place in Supported Lodgings, living with a host family who would provide the safety and guidance he needed.
Bradley responded well to the support, passing his college courses while finding a part-time job. He was in placement for two years and thrived in a caring environment.
However, when Bradley turned 18, he was no longer eligible for the statutory funding that covered his Supported Lodgings placement. He would have to find alternative accommodation within 56 days.
His Step by Step Support Worker helped Bradley look for somewhere suitable to move on to. It is very challenging for young people in his position to find potential rooms – not only are rents historically expensive, but there is huge competition for places and most get snapped up within hours of coming onto the market.
Bradley was using a popular website to look for rentals in shared houses. Unfortunately, his free membership of the site only allowed him access to places that had already been listed for seven days. This meant that by the time he was able to contact potential landlords, the places had already gone.
This is where Step by Step’s Opportunity Fund came in. This is a fund that can be used for ad hoc purchases and payments to help young people overcome the barriers they face. It could pay for a bike to get to college or a laptop to study online, for example.
In Bradley’s case, his Support Worker used the Opportunities Fund to pay the £30 membership fee for the property website. While this is a small amount of money for most people, it was unaffordable for Bradley and the funding made all the difference.
Bradley was able to apply for accommodation as soon as it became available. It wasn’t long before he secured a room in a shared house that was the ideal location and affordable. Without the Opportunities Fund paying for his site membership, the room would not even have been an option.
Bradley told us: “The funding helped me look for rooms more efficiently as more came up and I had the option before some others.”
Bradley is now living independently and doing well. The Opportunities Fund helped him overcome a barrier that for many would seem trivial, but for Bradley would have prevented him moving on with his life.
*Name changed to respect privacy
This Christmas, while many of us gather in warmth and comfort, young people across our communities are facing challenges no one their age should have to.
By donating to our Take a Stand This Christmas appeal, you can be a guiding star in a young person’s journey.
