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We will provide you with a personal adviser shortly after your sixteenth birthday. They are here to give you support, until the age of twenty-five.

You can use your personal adviser and the support around you to understand your housing options.

Your personal adviser will manage the process of finding housing. They will check that your new home is suitable for your needs.

Your housing options will be set out in your pathway plan and may include:

• Semi / supported accommodation
  Independent housing providers will provide 24/7 support to young people up to the age of twenty-five. This is to help you build the self care and budgeting skills that you will need to manage and maintain your own home.
• Community flats
  As part of your move on plans we have access to outreach and dispersed properties in the community. You can go into these once you have built and demonstrated that you have certain skills required to live on your own in the community. Staff will continue to offer outreach support tailored to your needs and make home visits to you, to make sure that you are managing the day to day running of your tenancy.
• Trainer flats
  These tenancies are provided in partnership with South Tyneside Homes, the Council and the Leaving Care Service. The tenancy will be in the name of the Leaving Care Service so that a joint responsibility can be agreed with the tenant (you will become the tenant when you move in). Support will be offered for a period of time, to ensure a smooth transition to full independence.
• Staying with your foster carer
  This means remaining with your foster carer until you are twenty-one, instead of eighteen. This should be discussed well in advance and agreed before you turn eighteen years old with yourself, carers, social worker, personal adviser and fostering officer. After this, a written agreement will be put in place. It gives you the option to keep living with your foster carers until you are twenty-one years old or earlier if you feel ready to live on your own or somewhere else. Your carer will also receive a weekly allowance, which will be paid up to your twenty-first birthday. If you wish to stay with your carer after, this your personal adviser can support you and explain how this will be a private arrangement.
• Social housing (Council)
  This is your own tenancy with Â鶹ÊÓƵ, or with another council who you have a local connection with. You can apply for this through the council website of the area you are looking at.
• Private tenancy 
  This is through a private landlord.
• Living with friends or family

Social housing

You are eligible for a tenancy in social housing when you turn eighteen years old.

If you want it, your personal adviser will support you to apply for social housing.

This should take place around the date of your eighteenth birthday.

Lettable standard:

When you move into a Council home, we will make sure that it meets our .

This sets out the standard that all our homes will meet when they are let to new residents.

This standard is set to ensure that the home is:

• safe
• secure
• clean
• in a good state of repair

Pre tenancy checks

We will check that all housing applicants can financially manage and able to manage and maintain a tenancy.

This can include checking any prior convictions and making sure you can afford it (evidence of your income, including benefits).

We will identify any support needs and offer you help.

Renting in the private sector

Your personal adviser will help view homes and tenancy agreements to make sure they are suitable.

If you get benefits, you can claim the one-bedroom rate for Universal Credit even if you are living in shared housing. You can claim this until your twenty-second birthday.

If you want to stay there after your twenty-second birthday, you will have to make up the difference on the rent.

Your personal adviser will also help you get welfare benefits and budgeting advice.

If you agree, your personal adviser will ask your new landlord if they can keep them 'up to date' if there are any problems (for example, with paying rent, or if there are concerns about anti-social behaviour).

This will allow them to help with any problems that arise.

Shared housing

Before you move in, the housing options service will:

• give you advice about housing
• make sure housing standards are acceptable to the Council
• work with your personal adviser who will make sure housing meets your needs

Your personal adviser will work with yourself and housing options to identify any risks to you. Your personal adviser will include these in your Pathway Plan review and a copy can be given to you.

Your personal adviser will make sure that an agreement is signed between you, your landlord, and the Council, which sets out:

• The name(s) and address(es) of who you want us to contact in an emergency.
• What support your personal adviser, social worker or other professionals will give you and your landlord.
• Any options that exist for surrendering (giving up) your tenancy.
• If the housing is not in South Tyneside, with your agreement, we will:
  • Tell the local authority you will be living in that you are care experienced.
  • Give them contact details for your personal adviser.

Your personal adviser will regularly visit you.