Young people who become homeless in Barnet are being given additional support in return for their contribution to the community through an innovative new house-share scheme by social landlord Barnet Homes.
The Get Real project offers shared accommodation and ongoing support to young people who show a commitment to education, training or employment. The scheme is aimed at breaking the culture of antisocial behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse and welfare dependency that frequently exists among young people in temporary accommodation.
By offering a flat share rather than the social isolation of a temporary single-bed property, Barnet Homes aims to give young people who can no longer live with their family a better introduction to living independently.
The scheme is also designed to give the young people the best possible chance of improving their own means, so that in future they may not need to rely on social housing or the benefits system. That will serve to ease pressures on social housing in Barnet, where demand for council and housing association properties far exceeds supply.
The first young people to take part in the Get Real project – Temi Mwale and Raisa Niamat – moved into a shared flat in Edgware in February.
Temi said: “I didn’t want to move into a hostel and this came in the nick of time for me. I wanted to be somewhere where I could study and I feel this opportunity is easing me into university – it’s keeping me motivated and it’s where I need to be to achieve.
“I also already feel I know a lot about responsibilities and budgeting. Before I didn’t know how long everything takes. When I was living with my family there was always food in the fridge. It’s not until you have to deal with these kind of things yourself that it occurs to you how much you’ve taken for granted.
Raisa previously lived in single-bed accommodation at Barbara Langstone House in Finchley. She said: “A lot of people in hostels are from different backgrounds, some from very traumatic backgrounds, and when you’re alone you start questioning who you are. You see people – talented people – who are slipping away. The lack of energy gets you down.
“This project really motivated me again. It means you have someone to talk to and someone you can trust – that’s very important. I’m really glad that things have turned out this way for me.”
Barnet Homes has now offered a place to a third housemate to join Temi and Raisa at the Edgware property, and is hoping to set up similar schemes elsewhere in the borough over the coming months.
Barnet Homes Chief Executive, Tracey Lees, said: “The Get Real project is about offering the best possible opportunities for young people who approach us for housing. Temporary accommodation can be very isolating and can seriously harm the prospects of vulnerable young people, as they become exposed to issues like drug taking, alcoholism and dependency on the welfare system.
“We strongly believe that shared housing is a much better environment for young people, though we expect them in return to show a continual commitment to advancing themselves through study, training or employment.
“It was a pleasure for me to meet Temi and Raise and I hope to meet more young people benefiting from the Get Real project as we expand it over the coming months.”
The first Get Real property was fitted out with furniture from the Barnet Furniture Centre, a reuse and recycling project created by Barnet Homes in 2011 to enable low income households to buy items at affordable prices and reduce the amount of decent furniture going to landfill.