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Bernadette
came to her local LIFE House desperate for help. Fleeing domestic violence,
pregnant with her third child, and with nowhere else to turn, she didn’t think
it would be possible to over-come longstanding issues and repair her
relationship with her family.
Her Support Plan worked on building confidence
and self-esteem and together with her Support Worker, Bernadette developed a
valuable network of friends and family to ensure she was happy and safe when she
was ready to leave our care.
*not real name
Housing
LIFE Housing provides a support service to pregnant women, mothers of small children and families who are in need of support, to enable them to access independent living and successfully maintain their tenancies.
The support is delivered to tenants in accommodation provided by LIFE Housing or to people in their own homes.
We currently operate in 30 local authority areas and are funded by 23 Supporting People Administering Authorities.
In 2009/10 we supported nearly 400 young people in our housing service.
LIFE Houses reflect a typical domestic environment; most houses are small with just 4 or 5 bedrooms. Tenants have their own bedrooms and share communal facilities such as kitchens, bathrooms and lounges. A Support Worker is on site every day to give help to tenants to achieve the goals set out in their Individual Support Plan.
This could be one-to-one sessions on money & budgeting, continuing education or employment, or emotional support to deal with relationships, parenting etc. Alternatively it could be in group Life Skills sessions, dealing with cooking and practical skills or health-related issues such as ante-natal care run by visiting partner services.
LIFE Houses were opened in the 1970s as a response to requests from women facing homelessness if they continued with their pregnancies. LIFE supporters opened houses in various locations across the UK in order to provide a home for women who found themselves in this vulnerable position.
The hard work and dedication of our supporters enabled the development of our current support service. The support service is largely funded by the Supporting People programme which means our houses are regularly viewed and accredited by Supporting People Authorities, ensuring that our committed and dedicated staff deliver the highest quality support.
We also have 4 community support services in Belfast, Hampshire, East Kent and West Sussex helping former tenants sustain their tenancies once they have moved on or supporting young parents in their own homes who have not used our supported housing service.
Click on the links below to download our 2011 Housing Forum Report to find out all the latest developments for LIFE's Housing programme, or our background leaflet about the housing service!!