Supported housing options for young people leaving care
Edinburgh has a number of supported housing options for young people making the transition from care into independent living. Each one provides keywork support to help young people develop the skills and confidence to move onto a settled home in a community in future.
Supported housing providers
- Cyrenians small-scale communities for young people at Cyrenians City, in Leith, Edinburgh, and Cyrenians Farm near Kirknewton (10 miles out of the city). Young people share a home with live-in volunteers. They are also supported by Cyrenians keyworkers based at an onsite office.
- Rock Trust offers shared and single supported flats for young people around the city. In single flats, young people live on their own. In shared flats, a small number of young people live together with a supportive flatmate who has a mentoring and guidance role. All young people living in Rock Trust flats have their own keyworker who provides visiting housing support.
- FourSquare’s Number 20 provides young women with their own ensuite bed-sit within a building, which also contains a communal kitchen and living area where support staff are based. Number 20 is staffed 24/7, with control over access to the building.
- Dean & Cauvin’s mother and baby home, Cauvin House, supports young women and their new babies to develop parenting and independent living skills within a safe environment which is staffed 24/7.
Referring a young person
If you are seeking to refer a young person into, or simply find out more about, one of the housing options above, please contact the provider directly and ask for their current referral form.
Housing Support Panel
Until earlier in 2022, allocated workers for young people leaving care and seeking supported housing made referrals to the Housing Support Panel. The processes, referral routes and remit of this Panel are currently under review. A new model will be piloted from early 2023.
More information
Please contact TCAC Housing Development Officer Lucie Dunn lucie.dunn@edinburgh.gov.uk with any other questions on housing and support options for young people leaving care.