Supported lodgings success stories

Read our success stories to learn how the Supported Lodgings Scheme continues to positively impact people's lives.

Margaret, Supported Lodgings Provider for 4 years

In our time as supported lodgings providers, we’ve had eight young people lodging with us. As our birth children were growing up and heading to university, we decided to open our home to young people. Our neighbours were already doing Supported Lodgings and had a range of young people coming and going. They gave us an honest account of their experience, warts and all, which was invaluable. We also did some research of our own. We were impressed with the results of Supported Lodgings, improving a young person’s life and their potential future.

We contacted B&NES and we were assigned a social worker. It was a long process before we were able to host anyone, but we didn’t mind. We felt like they were doing a thorough job to make sure we were suitable and ready for the challenge. We wanted to host someone for longer than just emergency care. We started with local young people, aged around 17 and 18, so they were similar in age to our youngest child. We were then asked if we would host unaccompanied migrants and asylum seekers. Since then, we have hosted three young asylum seekers. B&NES has a dedicated social worker to support unaccompanied children who is absolutely brilliant.

Occasionally we have two young people with us at the same time. Last year, for a short period of time during the pandemic, we had three as well as our own children who had come home from university because of the lockdown. One moment that really stands out during that strange time was when we all went mad for jigsaws. It was lovely, seeing all our young people clustered around the jigsaws, concentrating as they worked together as a team to put the pieces of the puzzle together. We want our house to be a safe haven for young people, a place of calm. We find that giving them a bit of responsibility is good for their confidence and future independence. We’ve got all of them involved in gardening, showing them how to do it and then letting them plant their own pots. I think it’s really nice for them to see their flowers and plants coming up a few months later and have the sense of achievement that they did that. Becoming Supported Lodgings Providers was a big decision for us at the beginning.

We recognised it would have an impact on our own children. It’s been quite an adjustment for them, especially our youngest. But we’ve learned as we’ve gone along. Before we decide on whether or not a young person is going to stay with us, they usually come for tea, and then a sleepover. We all make the decision the next day. It’s rewarding when you see someone you’ve cared for doing well and living independently. One of the young men who had lived with us invited us over for a meal in his first flat and he was clearly so proud to show us how well he was getting on. When he first moved out, he sent me a lovely message, admitting that he had been nervous but that the one thing he felt in our house was love.

There are times when it can be challenging. Most young people will come to you because they are vulnerable in some way. Sometimes the people around them, their relatives or their friends, may not be a positive influence. Your role as the Supported Lodgings Provider is to carve out some space and a pathway to help them learn the skills they need to be able to live an independent, successful and flourishing life. We hope we can help them make some lovely memories along the way.

Chris, Supported Lodgings Provider for 8 years

I started providing Supported Lodgings around 8 years ago, after my wife died. It didn’t seem right to have a four-bedroom house with just me in it. I came across an ad for supported lodgings and cut it out. As I work full time, it seemed like a more suitable option than fostering a younger child that would need me to be at home all day. Once I took the first step and got in touch, it was quite a long process before I could take anyone in. I have two grown up children of my own who are very supportive.

I had 1:1 training with a social worker as part of the process. I’ve had lots of young people with me in the last eight years. I decided to just host boys, for safeguarding reasons as a man living on my own, although the supporting lodgings team have said I could have girls. I’ve had a real mix of experiences, with some of the young people staying for just one night to others staying for two or three years.

Age-wise, they’ve ranged from around 16 to 19. I’ve had local placements and unaccompanied asylum-seekers. At the moment, I have two boys living with me. Quite often, the boys who come out of care have had a traumatic experience. It can sometimes take a long time to win their trust. One lad took a year to settle in. Then one day he said to me “I’ll be home” and just that simple statement showed that he had settled.

Providing supported lodgings does make a huge difference. It provides stability and security for them. It gives them a platform for sitting back and assessing their lives, what they want and what they can achieve. I support them as much as I can to help them do what they want to do in life. Of course, it doesn’t always work out. I’ve had cases where they’ve ended up in trouble, or we’ve had the police round. If you have a teenager and they don’t come home, you have to report that. One lad was involved with drugs. So it isn’t all rosy. There are times that you despair, but that’s all children – even your own children sometimes.

Overall, it is well worth doing. There’s just so much positivity about it – you can see you’re making a difference. Suddenly a stranger comes into your house and it’s so rewarding after a few weeks or a month or a year. The whole point of supported lodgings is that you’re teaching them independence trying to get them on some sort of career path and make sure they’ve got some kind of stability, so that when they get their own place they can manage, budget, cook for themselves and be able to look after themselves. Hopefully, especially after a longer placement, you can pat yourself on the back and say job well done, as you watch them go on to the next stage of their lives.

Jamal, lived in Supported Lodgings for 3 years

I came to the UK in 2015, around the age of 15. My brother and I were trying to find a place to live. We spent a year and a half in a hostel and then we were offered a place. I’ve never lived on my own before, so I felt like I still needed some more experience before doing that.

When we first arrived in the country, we were really struggling with being able to speak English and communicate with the outside world, so I really wanted help with that. I wanted to be able to say yes, no, I’m hungry, I like you – all those kinds of things. I was going to college, but I needed support outside of that.

My social worker suggested supported lodgings to me. I didn’t know what they were, so he explained that I would get to meet the family and stay with them for a week and then decide if it was right for me. I spent the first night with the family. On the second night, I told them that I wanted to stay.

I ended up living in supported lodgings for two or three years and I was really happy. We’ve become a family.

My brother and I don’t celebrate Christmas, but we’ve spent two Christmases with the family and really enjoyed getting to know the Christmas celebration. I’ve learned a lot of things that I never thought I would from living with them.

I moved out a year and a half ago but I’m still in contact with the family. They’re really supportive. They live in Keynsham and when I moved out of their house, I knew I wanted to stay in Keynsham, and I persuaded my brother to move here too.

I work as a carer in a social care home. I picked this job because I want to pay back to the community. I’ve tried very hard to pay back my supported lodgings family, but they’ve always said that I don’t have to. So I thought of working in care to pay back to the community.

I work in Keynsham and I take care of elderly and disabled people. Sometimes I work with the supported lodgings team too, to help them with young people who are new to supported lodgings. I’ve talked to them and told them about supported lodgings and what it is and how it has helped people like me.

Supported lodgings taught me English, how to share, communicate and become responsible and reliable. I learned how to cook, how to manage budgets, pay bills, and control the environment around me. It was a big deal for me.

I really try to do good in my life. I’ve seen a lot of people getting onto the wrong path, only because they didn’t get the support they needed. I didn’t want to be rich, I didn’t want to be making a lot of money, I just wanted to be good to people. I really enjoy helping other people.

Kate, lived in Supported Lodgings for 3 years

I think being a supported lodgings provider is a brilliant thing, not just for the young person but for the person doing it. You’re having a huge impact on someone’s life. It’s not just a job, it’s a lot more than that. You don’t clock off, you’re always there and it’s important to develop a real relationship with that person and especially to develop trust.

I first went into supported lodgings when I was 17. My supported lodgings provider wanted me to squeeze every ounce out of it, so whilst I was with her, I managed to get my driving licence, I got an apprenticeship with the council which enabled me to go to work, and that helped me to get a flat.

I’m working in estate management in the private sector now. It’s a good job and I enjoy what I do. Supported lodgings enabled me to do that, I don’t believe I would have had the skills or knowledge to prosper without it.

Being a supported lodgings provider needs to be considered carefully because it’s a huge responsibility. But at the same time, it’s quite fun for the provider as well – they get something out of it too. My lodgings provider was a single woman, so anybody can do it. We got on incredibly well. Obviously, it had its ups and downs but everybody has those, but she was brilliant at what she did and we’re still in contact now.

Liam, lived in Supported Lodgings for 2 years

I first came into contact with supported lodgings just before my 18th birthday. I had the option of either a hostel or supported lodgings. I thought supported lodgings would provide me with a better starting point than a hostel as you’re less likely to be drawn in to the wrong crowds that could hinder your opportunities in life, and it’s much more relaxed and comfortable once you settle in.

My experience with supported lodgings was great. I stayed for two years in the same house and my supported lodgings provider was absolutely amazing. I then moved onto a shared house.

Supported lodgings helps you to learn life skills, such as doing your own laundry and washing up and just generally keeping hygiene to a good standard. It teaches you to respect the property of other people, as you are living in somebody’s home that they have welcomed you into.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without supported lodgings. It provides a supportive environment, and you can talk to your provider about any problems, which is a real help – even if it’s just to get something off your chest. It was just a lovely place to live and I still keep in contact with my supported lodgings provider three years later.

I’m 23 now and I work full time as a painter and decorator. I’ve been living at home with my family during the pandemic but I’m hoping to get a flat of my own soon.