Shared social housing for young people

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The context

Scottish Government guidance makes clear young people leaving care should not find themselves in the homelessness system. But moving straight into a sole tenancy can also pose challenges. Managing and budgeting for a home on a low income is objectively hard. Experiences of isolation and loneliness can be common, especially for young people used to group living. A Way Home Scotland notes “the negative impact of abrupt, accelerated transition… the ‘instant adulthood experienced by many care leavers”. These factors may also make tenancy breakdown and incidence of homelessness more likely.

To reduce this, A Way Home Scotland’s Youth Homelessness Prevention Pathway recommends graduated, flexible housing options serving “the needs of emerging adults”, which also offer choice. They suggest housing options for all young people at risk of homelessness should resemble those of their peers, with a focus on affordability and security of tenure.

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The intervention

With grant funding from Crisis, Hull City Council was the first English local authority to pilot shared tenancies for young people. Shared social tenancies offer an additional option for young people leaving care and the asylum system (as well as leaving home), which is genuinely affordable and can mitigate isolation. From a Council perspective, sharing enables efficient use of stock and expands the total units of settled housing.

Tenants share two or three bed Council homes in central areas which are wellconnected to local transport. Furniture, wifi, utilities and Council Tax are provided
and recouped through a service charge. Tenants have an individual Council tenancy agreement for their room, and use of shared spaces (i.e. they’re not joint and severally liable). For young people, shared Council tenancies are the most affordable housing option in Hull.

Referrals come from children’s services as well as youth prevention teams. Tenants complete a matching questionnaire, or ‘pre-matched’ pairs can apply together. All tenants are flexibly supported by the Targeted Youth Support Team (TYST) whose workers are trained in mediation. Tenants can stay in shared housing as long as they want. The TYST also has an agreement with the Council allocations team, enabling tenants to transfer into their own tenancy in time if they so wish.

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The outcome

Since mid-2018, 28 Council properties have been converted to shared tenancies, providing 62 homes at any one time. Around half of the homes are tenanted by young people with care experience. The project has prevented homelessness for more than 100 young people to date. Around a third have moved to their own tenancy in time; others continue sharing with no plans to move on.

Consistently, 73-76% of tenants using the shared tenancy scheme agree the option has improved their motivation, self-care, living skills and ability to manage money. Serious problems with sharing or antisocial behaviour have been rare, with no legal action taken against shared tenants in three years.

Shared tenancies have added a much-needed affordable housing option into the mix for young people and are cost effective for the Council and for tenants. Despite initial scepticism, the service consistently has a waiting list now. The scheme was mainstreamed from 2020, and won the Local Government Chronicle award for best housing initiative the same year.

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Key insights

• some young people will choose sharing if it’s available – they might not demand it if it’s not
• concerns about difficulties managing the “sharing” element of tenancies can be over-stated
• sharing can be an alternative and/or a transition, to a sole tenancy – make sure it’s not either/or

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Find out more…

Alex Morizzo, Shared Accommodation Officer, Hull City Council
alex.morizzo@hullcc.gov.uk

Ardahan Mohammed, Housing Solutions Lead, Hull City Council
ardahan.mohammed@hullcc.gov.uk