Housing help for care leavers over 18
When you turn 18, you are entitled to claim benefits. You should be able to claim Housing Benefit or Universal Credit if you need to.
Housing help for 18 to 25 year olds
If you are aged 18 to 21 and spent at least one night in care when you were 16 or 17, we can help you find a place to llive. This is because you're automatically classed as being in "priority need" until your 21st birthday.
If you are in full-time further or higher education, Children’s Services must find you somewhere to live during holiday periods if you need it.
Housing help for over 21 year olds
We might be able to help, if we can show that you are in "priority need". For example, this may be the case if you:
- are vulnerable as a result of having been in care
- haven't had a stable home since you left care
- have slept on the streets in the past
If you're in full-time further or higher education and you have nowhere to stay outside term time, we must also find you somewhere to live.
What is a local connection?
This means you've:
- been given housing by a council
- lived in that area for two years or more
- some, or all, of those two years were before you were 16
Other support for care leavers aged 18 to 24
As a care leaver, you should continue to receive help and advice from us until your 21st birthday, or 25th birthday if you are still in education or training.
We can help by providing assistance with education and training until your 25th birthday. This can include an educational bursary, to help you pay your rent while you study.
You'll need a personal adviser, who will keep in touch and should go over your pathway plan with you, to see how you are getting on.