Support with your housing

At age 16 and 17, we will make sure you have a suitable place to live such as with a foster carer, or in supported accommodation.   

Before your 18th birthday we will have planned with you where you will live when you leave care. We want to ensure you live in the most suitable accommodation for your assessed needs and for your Pathway Plan.

After you turn 18 and after an assessment that was agreed in your Pathway Plan we can agree that you are ready to manage the responsibilities of independent living. Independent living isn’t an automatic process when you reach a certain age, but is dependent on where you are in your journey to independence. Southwark Council’s Housing Department currently offers a 12-month probationary tenancy (a trial period) to Former Relevant Children and if you successfully complete this period, it can lead to a longer-term tenancy. 

Remember that if you are still working through an immigration process to live in the UK, you may not qualify for a probationary tenancy yet. 

For care leavers who do not want to live in Southwark, we will work with you in order to find alternative housing options but will not be able to assist you with Council Tax.

Everyone is different and the type of accommodation you are offered can be different as well. If you are a single person you may be able to have a studio or bedsit flat. If you are employed, you may have to pay towards the deposit. 

Southwark can also help with a rental advance (this means Southwark lends you money to help with your rent or deposit). Remember that different rules may apply if your housing is outside of the borough so speak to your PA.

When you receive your Southwark/Housing Association tenancy – we will pay the first week’s rent if that is needed.

If you rent a private flat, we can help by paying the deposit and up to four week’s rent in advance. Your private flat must be considered affordable though. Remember that if you receive Universal Credit, you should arrange for the rent to be paid directly to your landlord where that is possible (ask your PA or ask for a referral at the Job Centre).

Moving into a new home is exciting but can also be expensive! We will provide you with a £3,000 setting up home allowance (leaving care grant) when moving into your permanent/settled accommodation. You will work with your PA who will help you make a budget to spend the money on essential items, such as a fridge, bed and crockery. 

It’s important to tell your PA a in advance of when you will need the money. It can take several days for the money to be processed and so it’s important for you and your PA to plan ahead. 

When you turn 21, the help you get with housing will change. 

Even though you’re taking on more responsibility, you won’t need to pay council tax if you live in Southwark.
If you are a care leaver living in Southwark, Southwark Council has agreed that you will not have to pay council tax until you are 25 years old.

If you are studying in higher education (university), we will contribute towards your out-of-term accommodation.
Southwark Council will pay the landlord directly.  

Out-of-term accommodation could include:

• Returning to stay with a foster carer
• Paying rent in temporary housing if you are in halls during term-time
• Paying rent in halls if you can remain there in the vacation period 

If you have your own accommodation and you want to attend university it is your responsibility to apply for a student loan. If you have a tenancy already you will remain responsible for the rent and bills of your accommodation while you are studying. Check with your PA and let us know if you think you’re struggling with  your bills.

We can provide £1,750 towards out-of-term accommodation for each year that you are at university (we can offer this support once a year for three years) 

We will do our best to help you maintain your tenancy.
Please let your PA know as soon as possible if you are having trouble paying rent or facing any other issues. We won’t be able to completely resolve all issues, but we will support  you to reduce the risk of homelessness.

We can help you claim housing benefit/ Universal Credit and fill out housing forms. 
We can refer you to specialist advice agencies. The sooner you tell us you need help, the sooner we can help! 

Staying-put
You can usually stay with a foster carer until you turn 21 if that’s what you both want.

Supported/semi-independent accommodation
This may be accommodation where several young people live together. There may be key worker support on-site throughout the day, ranging from a few hours to 24 hours, or you may live in a flat (sometimes shared) with a visiting key worker.

Supported lodgings 
Accommodation options offered to care leavers aged 16 to 25 who are not quite ready to live on their own and instead live with a host. A host is someone who has a spare room in their home and can help prepare a young person for independent living.

Independent accommodation
Such as your own flat with a tenancy agreement. Remember that if you receive Universal Credit, you should ask for the rental amount to be paid directly to the landlord. Ask your PA for more info you aren’t sure if you’re on Universal Credit.