A SCOTS charity in Edinburgh has launched a housing project in Stirling for young people leaving the care system.
The charity, Barnardo’s Scotland collaborated with local services and construction firm Morris & Spottiswood to build five ‘Gap Homes’.
The homes are built for those leaving care and provide affordable and additional housing.
The home grants the opportunity for the young person to live in a new property in an established community with support from Barnardo’s.
Young people are expected to be a resident for up to two years, while Barnardo’s as the landlord can offer flexibility on length of tenure.
Barnardo’s developed the programme in response to the lack of suitable housing and support available to young people at the point of leaving care.
The organisation said poor quality housing and a lack of support increases the likelihood of homelessness, which is exacerbated by a lack of suitable accommodation for young people to live independently.
Stirling is just one of the sites in the UK where Gap Homes are being constructed. Renfrewshire and Essex have the homes with more to come.
Martin Crewe, the Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “It can be very difficult for young people leaving care to live alone for the first time, especially when it comes to running a home on a limited budget.
“Gap Homes create a safe and stable environment in which young people can thrive. What’s more, they are built in established communities and have low running costs.
“The current housing crisis means that there’s not a lot of available housing, let alone for young people leaving care.
“The latest Gap Homes development in Stirling forms part of the fight to tackle the lack of suitable accommodation for care leavers.”
Alison is one young person benefitting from a Gap Home in another part of the UK.
Alison said: “I had been living in care for several years from the age of 16 before moving into a Gap Home and I had stayed in three places in that short space of time.”
She added: “I was not a happy person where I was living previously as we would always have issues with things like the heating or hot water not working and mould.
“This would go on for months at a time, and our complaints never seemed to matter. Because of that, I ended up having to repeatedly move house, but with Gap Homes, I have everything that I need and more.
“I truly appreciate Barnardo’s for their support and for changing my life for the better.”
Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery in Stirling made the project possible by raising more than £14.8 million for Barnardo’s since 2018.
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Leaving home and moving into your first place can be daunting, even more so for young people who are care experienced.
“The new Gap Homes in Stirling will help them to navigate the next stage of their lives, giving them the support they need so they can successfully live independently, and I’m so pleased that this is being supported thanks to money raised by our players.”
In the past year, Barnardo’s provided essential support to more than 11,500 children, young people, parents and carers in Scotland through more than 150 specialised community-based services and partnerships across the country.
