Since April 2009 Southdown has been working in close partnership with Chichester District Council, HydeMartlet Housing Association and West Sussex County Council to provide an accommodation based scheme specifically for 16-25 year olds who are either leaving care or have been identified as vulnerable by Chichester District Council.
Myplace is part of the county-wide Independent Living Scheme, but has some distinct differences in the way it is administered: for example it provides a higher intensity of support (up to 4 hours for each client) and accepts nominations only from Social Services and Chichester District Council.
Once accepted onto the scheme young people will receive pre-tenancy support to prepare them for moving in to their first independent accommodation. This includes access to and use of the Choice Based Lettings system to identify and bid on appropriate one bed accommodation in the Chichester area, as well as preparation for the move using a six stage individual action plan, which focuses on independent living skills from a housing perspective.
When a successful bid is made, Southdown takes on the role of landlord creating a buffer zone between the head landlord (HydeMartlet) and young person. Southdown then provides a full package of housing management and support services to enable the young person to move into the property, establish their home, understand and take on their rights and responsibilities as tenants, develop strong social and community networks, access work, learning etc.
The agreement remains in place until the young person reaches an appropriate level of independence and feels equipped to take full responsibility for sustaining the tenancy in the future. At this stage Southdown will withdraw support and the tenancy will revert back to HydeMartlet.
If you would like to discuss Myplace in more detail please contact the Team Leader Carol Stenning
Phone: 01903 705100 / Email: c.stenning@southdownhousing.org
Post: Caravelle House, 17-19 Goring Road, West Worthing, West Sussex BN12 4AP
To view our leaflet, which privides additional information on the scheme, click here .