Scheme gives homeless teens a second chance

9:15am Saturday 19th July 2008

AN INNOVATIVE scheme has been praised for offering homeless teenagers in north Hampshire more than just a roof over their heads.

The Supported Lodgings initiative allows youngsters aged 16 or over, who might otherwise be housed in bed and breakfast accommodation, to be placed with a family and to learn to live self-sufficiently.

Householders, youngsters and officials were among those who addressed a conference showing other local authorities how the scheme has been working in Basingstoke and Deane and giving the various partners a chance to evaluate the initiative's effectiveness.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has backed Stonham Housing Association's scheme since 2002.

Borough mayor Councillor George Hood said: "This is one of the best things we have done because not only does it give them accommodation, it gives them the opportunity to decide to conform and become good citizens."

The idea started in east Hampshire. Kelly Starr, of Alton, explained how her life had been turned around by the scheme.

She said she joined the scheme aged 17 after her family broke down in horrific circumstances and she ended up in hospital with mental health problems. The scheme allowed her to experience a more normal family life and she started taking care of herself.

Now aged 22 and reading film studies and English literature at Portsmouth University, Miss Starr said: "Stonham helped me when I had nowhere else to go. They gave me a second chance and I'm so grateful."

Cllr Cathy Osselton, Cabinet member for housing and health, said that, thanks to the scheme, the council had not housed a single 16 or 17-year-old in bed and breakfast accommodation since January 2006. But she said there was still work to do.

Penny Diver, service manager for Stonham, said the householders received financial support for their efforts but were not foster parents.

"Our householders are definitely not substitute parents," she said. "They're support people who help the young person towards independence and living on their own."

Householder Shellan Nicholson, 48, of Chesterfield Road, Basingstoke, who has participated in the scheme, said: "It's the longest period of stability many have had. It's a brilliant scheme."

Data from Stonham showed that of those youngsters who have left supported lodgings since March 31, half moved on to live independently or with friends, about a quarter returned to their families and the rest were evicted.

Half of the 35 young people who left the scheme in the year to April 2008 had stayed in their placements for up to six months, while the other half stayed for longer.

But even a stay of just a few months increased the stability experienced by some youngsters, the conference heard.

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