SHAP are a specialist housing organisation, existing to enable young and vulnerable people to have their housing needs appropriately met. The organisation provides high quality accommodation with support for young and vulnerable people who are homeless, in housing need or experiencing disruption and difficulty in their life.
To expand on the work they are doing in St Helens and recognising that hostel or group living is not always the best option for some young people, they are working with St Helens Council to develop a Supported Lodging service and we would like to recruit suitable householders from the St Helens area.
Supported Lodgings provide young people with safe, supportive places to live in the homes of local people. If you have a furnished spare room in your home and an interest in helping a young person become independent, they would like to hear from you.
You will need to:
• live full time in the property but can have your own routine including perhaps attending work, holidays and weekends away
• provide a home-like environment and domestic routine which will support a young person engaging in education, training or work, including the provision of some meals
• be able to establish an appropriate and consistent personal relationship with a young person, including nonintrusive practical help and advice
SHAP will:
• provide general skills development and training for you and the young person
• assess the needs of young people referred for living in Supported Lodgings, and match them to individual hosts/carers
• regularly meet and work with you ,the host, in delivering a package of support to the young person
• provide regular and out of hours support
For this you will receive a host’s payment in the form of rent for your room, a support fee and a housekeeping payment for any meals that you provide of up to £140 per week.
SHAP are committed to safeguarding the welfare and safety of young people and they will require references and DBS checks to be carried out. If you share the passion that SHAP have for helping young people and would like some more information please get in touch with Rhona O’Brien on 07471 035 386 or Andy Lee-McGurk at our head office on 01744 454056
SHAP was started by a group of people who were concerned about the rising number of young homeless people in St Helen’s in the late 1970s. After some temporary solutions in a shared maisonette where young people were supported by volunteers, the first hostel, The 162 Project, opened its doors in early 1981. They have grown since then and much has changed but young people are still becoming homeless and still need shelter, food, warmth, support and respect.
