Am I ready to live on my own?

Am I ready to
live on my
own?
“A third of 16-25 year olds fail in the
first year of their tenancy.”
This leaflet will help you decide if you
have the skills, abilities and attitude
needed to make your tenancy
a success.
Breaking the cycle of youth
homelessness in County Durham
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Contents Page
Introduction
Page 01
Can I Afford To Have My Own Home ?
Example Budget
Page 02
Page 03
Lifestyle and Happiness
Page 04
Can I Improve My Current Living Situation?
Types Of Accommodation
Useful Contacts
Page 06
Page 07
Page 09
Moving On acknowledges the support of The Rothley Trust with the publication of this booklet.
The information in this booklet is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of printing. We accept no responsibility
for inaccuracies herein. You are advised to use this book in the first instance and then seek help from Moving On or
another agency listed in this booklet.
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Introduction
We offer information, advice, support and practical guidance to young
people who are homeless or experiencing housing difficulties to help them
secure, sustain and survive in appropriate accommodation. We also work
to prevent homelessness through our ‘Lifeskills’ and ‘homeless education
programmes’.
This guide is for young people who are thinking of moving in to their own
home. It aims to show some of the realities of living independently and
help you to decide if you have the knowledge, skills and abilities needed
to maintain a tenancy. It is important to remember that your safety
comes first and if staying at home is putting you at risk then you do
have options. We don’t cover guidance on emergency accommodation or
homelessness in this booklet.
If you need more information please contact us using the details on the
back of the booklet.
Meet the moving on team
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Page 01
Can I Afford To Have My Own Home ?
Living on your own is not easy. A third of 16-25 year olds fail in the first
year of their tenancy. By carefully considering the issues raised in this
booklet before you decide to move out, you are giving yourself the best
chance of success. The biggest problem faced by young people living on
their own is managing their money. You need to think carefully about
whether you can afford to move out as failing in your first tenancy can
make it hard to get housed in the future.
» If you’re single, aged between 16 and 25 and on benefits you’ll only
get Housing Benefit* for the cost of a single room in a shared house,
in County Durham this is about £64. The cheapest private rented
properties are around £90 per week.
» If you get into rent arrears it can be grounds for eviction in Council,
Housing Association and private rented properties.
» Work out your budget before you decide to move out. We’ve given you
an example on the next page. Think about how you can get the most
money possible coming in (claiming right benefits, working extra hours
etc) and how you can spend as little as
possible (buying cheaper brands, being
more careful about the little things you
buy etc). Your adviser can complete a
budgeting exercise with you if you ask
them.
* Housing Benefit is now known as Local Housing Allowance.
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Page 02
Example Budget
For a single person on Job Seekers Allowance aged under 25. Total weekly
income: £53.45
This leaves you £9.15 to pay for your phone bill, travel, insurance,
socialising, clothes, music, make-up etc. How do you feel about that?
If you are working you will also need to pay for:
» Rent: About £70 Council/ Housing Association properties,
£90+ private landlord
» Council Tax: Around £20 per week
» Council furniture package: (optional) between £20 and £43 per week
Also bear in mind that the amounts listed above are the minimum amounts
you would spend. To live off £18 per week for food means buying very basic
products and counting every penny when out shopping.
In winter your energy bills are likely to be much higher. Some people spend
up to £30 a week on gas and still find their homes very cold.
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Page 03
Lifestyle And Happiness
Leaving home will always mean a big change in your lifestyle. You need to
work out what is important to you and whether you’ll still be able to do it
if you move out. Many people do not realise how lonely it can be when they
live on their own.
Some things to consider:
» Are you ready to be responsible
for cooking, cleaning, washing your
clothes and sorting out repairs for
your home?
» If you’re into sports, gym, movies, music or anything else, can you afford
to keep doing it? Can you still get there? If you can’t, how will you feel
and what else could you do to fill in your time and enjoy yourself? Are
you willing to give this up to live on your own ?
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Page 04
Lifestyle And Happiness
...continued
» Do you suffer from mental health problems?
Depression, anxiety, substance misuse and
self harm can all be made worse by spending
too much time on your own.
» Are your family close by for support?
» Will your friends be supportive?
It can be difficult to stand up to pressure to have parties etc when you
have your own place. This can often lead to feeling intimidated, it may
also lead to problems with neighbours and possibly eviction.
» If your friends are going out and you can’t afford to, how are you going
to feel?
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Page 05
Can I Improve My Current
Living Situation?
We understand that sometimes it can be hard to talk to parents/carers.
Mediation can help to break down these barriers and help everyone to
understand the point of view of others. Often this can be enough to
resolve the problems that made you want to leave home.
Mediation can also help even if you do end up leaving home. Having the
support of your family can make living on your own a lot easier and you
are therefore more likely to succeed in your tenancy. Moving On can
arrange for you and your family to access mediation. Ask your adviser for
more information.
Being prepared for what living on your own involves will give you the best
chance of making it a success.
Think carefully about all the issues in this leaflet. If you still think you
are ready to move out then Moving On can help you along the pathway to
independence by:
Offering
Helping
support to
you understand
help you set up and
how
to
bid
for
Council
Supporting
maintain your new
properties
you in the house
tenancy
Applying
hunting process
Helping
for grants
you learn the skills
Helping
you will need to live
you make
independently with our
housing/homeless
Advocating
Lifeskills sessions
applications
on your behalf
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Page 06
Types Of Accommodation
Now you’ve thought about what living on your own might be like, it’s time
to consider your housing options. It’s important to think about where you
want to live. Many of the easiest houses to get aren’t in the nicest areas.
Do your research on things like anti social behaviour and crime levels as
these will have a big impact on your happiness and wellbeing.
To keep things simple we have used the term Council Housing throughout
this booklet. This applies to houses let by Durham City Homes, East
Durham Homes and Dale & Valley Homes. In the rest of the county, social
housing is provided by: Cestria Community Housing, Derwentside Homes,
Teesdale Housing Association and Sedgefield Borough Homes. They are still
managed in a similar way but details of rents, furniture packages etc may
be different.
The Council will prioritise your application depending on your circumstances.
If you do not fall in to one of the high priority groups it can take many
months or even years to get a house. The rent is more affordable in Council
properties and the tenancy is more secure. You can also get a furniture
package if you’re in a Council house. If you can claim Housing Benefit it will
pay for this too. Remember Council houses do not come with carpets
so you will need to think about how you will afford them.
Housing Associations such as Three Rivers Housing, Home Housing and
Riverside provide affordable houses for rent and prioritise applications
based on your circumstances. The tenancy is also more secure than private
rented. You cannot apply for a furniture package with these houses so you
will need to think about how you will furnish it.
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Page 07
E
Types Of Accommodation
...continued
If you really need to move out of your family home but you Tdon’t think
HINGS
O NOTE
you are ready for the responsibilities of having your own tenancy
youTmay
want to consider supported housing. This involves living in a shared house
where staff are available to help you learn the skills you need and plan
your route to independent living. Unfortunately places are limited and
there can be a waiting list.
It can be very hard to find affordable private rented accommodation.
As a single person it is very unlikely you would get enough Housing
Benefit to cover the full rent of even the cheapest private rentals.
Complete a benefit calculation at your local Council offices or online at
www.durham.gov.uk before you sign any
contracts. You then need to think about
deposits, admin fees and rent in advance
which can add up to over £800. You will
also need to think about how you will
furnish the house.
A private landlord can end your tenancy more easily than the Council and
Housing Associations. You do not necessarily need to do anything wrong
(e.g. anti social behaviour, rent arrears, damage the property).
Most landlords can be trusted but it’s a good idea to get references from
other tenants as lack of response to repairs, not giving back deposits and
illegal evictions can sometimes be a problem.
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Page 08
Useful Contacts
Durham County Council Housing and Homelessness team Durham/Sedgefield/Wear Valley/Teesdale
Chester-le-street/Derwentside/Easington
Tel: 03000 260 792
Tel: 0191 387 2111
Out of hours Homeless Team -
Tel: 01388 722 538
If you need emergency accommodation out of office hours
Citizens Advice (Durham City Branch) -
Tel: 0191 3842638
Helps people resolve money and other problems.
Also provides free advice
Web: www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Childline - Free confidential helpline for under 18’s
Tel: 0800 11 11 11
Web: www.childline.org.uk
Frank - Free 24 hours helpline about drugs
Tel: 0800 77 66 00
Web: www.talktofrank.com
Connexions (now known as One Point) -
Tel: 0800328 1197
Provides information and advice to young people aged 13 -19.
Web: www.connexions.gov.uk
Shelter - Free housing advice helpline
Tel: 0808 800 4444
Web: england.shelter.org.uk
Welfare Rights - For advice on benefits
Tel: 0191 370 8787
Samaritans - Provides confidential emotional support 24/7
Tel: 08457 90 90 90
Durham Police (Non emergency) -
Tel: 03456060365
Reality Check - Am I ready to live on my own?
Page 09
If you need to have a chat with one of the team about
your needs just give us a call and make an appointment.
You can also have a look on our website to see where you
can meet us in your local community
If you need this information in Braille, large
print or in any other language please contact us.
2 Red Hill Villas - Durham - DH1 4BA
Tel: 0191 383 1559 Email: [email protected]
Moving On is at the top of Flass Street through the
Miners Hall (N.U.M.) gates, past the front of the hall
and up the steps to the first building.
Office Hours: Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm
www.movingondurham.org.uk
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We are supported by:
Charity No. 1111581. A company limited by guarantee Registered in England No. 5495172