Seacole provides quality accommodation for single homeless young people with varying and multiple needs, in a supportive, healthy and safe environment. It offers young people the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to live successfully in their own independent accommodatin within 6 months.
Aims and Objectives
Our two core aims are:
- To provide good quality accommodation for single homeless young people with varying and multiple needs, in a supportive, healthy and safe environment.
- To offer young people the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to live successfully in their own independent accommodation.
This is achieved by:
- Providing accommodation with support services to single young people, to enable them to resettle into an independent tenancy or other appropriate housing after 6 months.
- Providing fully furnished, comfortable, and secure accommodation which offers privacy to the tenants.
- Giving advice on practical issues such as benefits, life skills, managing money, settling into accommodation and the area, informal counselling, linking to other agencies for training, employment or education, advocacy, and other issues of concern to them.
- Assisting with move-on and resettlement
Support Services
All tenants are allocated a keyworker who is specifically responsible for them. The keyworker is responsible for each tenant’s assessment and support plan and maintains contact with other agencies involved in their care. Tenants are expected to co-operate with their keyworker in working towards the achievement of negotiated and agreed goals, and to attend their support plan meetings. Other staff are available to provide support.
The support services offered by the project include:
- Using the support/ care planning approach with an emphasis on multi agency working.
- Where needed and appropriate, support and expertise from external agencies is accessed on issues such as drug/alcohol use, sexual health, counselling and legal problems.
- Help with finding permanent accommodation, providing practical support or assistance to tenants who are ready to move on and support to those who have moved on into their own tenancy to enable them to live and maintain their tenancy successfully.
Tenancies
All clients are given an Assured Shorthold Tenancy with the aim of assisting clients to obtain more permanent accommodation after 6 months. Tenants are expected to pay rent regularly, inform staff of any change in their circumstance i.e. welfare benefits, work or training, to attend and participate in house meetings and to abide by the house rules and the tenancy agreement.
Referral Criteria
- Single young people at risk
- Single homeless ages 16 - 25
- Particular emphasis on working with people from BME backgrounds
Referrals are accepted from a wide range of statutory and voluntary agencies. Initial contact is usually by a telephone call to the project. A comprehensive assessment is carried out immediately on the basis of support need and risk, by inviting the referrer for an interview with a project worker and a visit to the project. The application is then discussed with the team, and the referrer informed of the decision.
If a referrer is assessed as appropriate and a vacancy exists, accommodation can be offered. Where a vacancy does not exist, the referral will be placed on the waiting list for consideration when a vacancy becomes available. Further information is usually required from other agencies e.g. probation, health etc.
Appeals
Where a referral request has been refused and the applicant or their referrer is not satisfied with the reasons given, they have a right to appeal the decision. Appeals should be made in writing within 10 working days of receipt of the written decision. Once received an appeals meeting will be arranged within 5 working days chaired by a Senior Manager at which the applicant and their referrer have the opportunity to state why they disagreed with the decision. An appeal decision will be made within 3 working days.
Staff and Management
Staff are onsite 24 hours a day.
Contact Details
Postal Address: Seacole, 99 Harehills Avenue, Leeds LS8 4HU
Referrals / General Enquiries: 0113 293 0254
Fax: 0113 2408887
Senior Manager: Jenn Bravo
Scheme Manager: Andrea Gould