Innovative Home Initiative for Care Experienced Young People Gets £3 Million Funding From Life Changes Trust

GLASGOW, Scotland, April 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Care experienced young people across Scotland will benefit from a new funding scheme that will help provide safe and supportive housing when they move on from care.  

The £3 million 'Home and Belonging' initiative was devised by the Life Changes Trust to provide an opportunity for housing providers, designers, Local Authorities, other creative professionals and those who work with young people to re-imagine what a fulfilling future can look like for a care experienced person, based around a safe, welcoming and personal space ? their home.

Eleven projects from across Scotland will benefit from the funding, looking at what day to day life is like for a young person when they move into new accommodation, not only in a practical sense but also considering how it feels for that young person.

Each project will explore where there are gaps, areas for improvement or new ways of supporting young people to create a safe and welcoming home of their own, taking into account what care experienced young people themselves have said matters to them.

Funded projects will also address the sense of isolation which many young people face when they suddenly find themselves alone, offering more choice and involvement to young people in relation to where and how they live when they leave care.

All of the projects were designed with young people, using creative approaches, and they will involve young people with care experience in their delivery and evaluation.

The funding from the Life Changes Trust will go to projects which help young people to feel a sense of stability and security, and to make sure they are supported to find a strong sense of home and belonging in their own communities.

Projects to receive funding include Barnardo's North Lanarkshire, East Lothian Council, East Renfrewshire Council, Hot Chocolate Trust, Impact Arts, Highland Council, LinkLiving, Quarriers, Helm Training, University of Highlands & Islands and HomePointr.

Carole Patrick, Director of Evidence and Influencing at the Life Changes Trust said, "Care experienced young people have the same potential and aspirations as other young people, but generally they do not have access to the same supportive relationships as others when they begin to move into adulthood. Through our Home and Belonging initiative, we are investing in projects which offer creative and personalised responses to this challenge.

She added, "The key objective of these projects is to provide a safe, welcoming and stable housing option for care-experienced young people and to reduce isolation which many care-experienced people can face on moving into their own tenancy. Innovative initiatives like 'Home and Belonging' will go a long way in giving care-experienced young people the grounding, security and most importantly, the home they deserve."

The Life Changes Trust was set up with a Big Lottery Fund endowment of £50 million to improve the lives of two key groups in Scotland: people affected by dementia and care experienced young people.

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