Housing, home and the cost of living
As part of Devon’s Local Offer to Care Leavers, we want you to feel supported in your living arrangements and to understand your housing options. We will work with you to help you find suitable accommodation that meets your needs.
Please read our What is the Local Offer? page before exploring the Local Offer below.
If you don’t know what some of the terms used on this page mean, please check out our handy list of definitions and explanations. More information and guidance about your accommodation options is available on our housing advice page.
Care For Me guarantees
- We will work with you to help you find suitable housing that meets your needs.
- We will help you to register on Devon Home Choice
- We will help prepare you to be “tenancy ready,” working with you and supported accommodation providers on the things that will help get you ready to maintain your own tenancy.
- We offer a guarantor scheme for care experienced people so that landlords have the confidence to offer tenancies.
- We will work with you and the relevant housing services if you are in a housing crisis so that you are not roofless, then plan with you next steps.
- We will provide you with up to £3000 as a setting up home allowance to help ensure that you have essential items to start on your journey. This is £3000 for those who left care after 1 April 2024 and £2000 if you left care before this point.
- We will offer advice, guidance, and advocacy to ensure that you are able to maintain your supported accommodation or tenancy, helping you to work with the team around you so that your housing is successful.
- We will help you to claim any allowances that you can to support rental costs.
- You will not have to pay Council Tax as a Devon Care Leaver regardless as to where you live.
- We will support you with the cost of your water bill up until the age of 21.
Our full Care For Me offer
Our corporate parenting partnership believes that no care leaver should become homeless, and that they should have somewhere that is safe and suitable to live. If you are over 18, we will support you in finding accommodation whether you live in or outside or Devon. If you live in Devon, we will work with our colleagues in the District Councils in Devon to help find the accommodation that is right for you. If you are living outside of Devon and want to stay there because that is where your life is, then don’t worry because we will help you find accommodation that meets your needs wherever you are.
Types of accommodation
If you are in foster care, we will work with you and your fostering household before you turn 18 to plan whether you should “stay put.”
A staying put arrangement means that you can remain with your foster carer for longer, even up to the age of 21. This will give you longer to plan your next steps for independence.
Your social worker and PA will work with you and your foster carers before you turn 18 to see if this is the right option for you.
A staying put arrangement means that you can remain with your foster carer for longer, even up to the age of 21. This will give you longer to plan your next steps for independence.
Your social worker and PA will work with you and your foster carers before you turn 18 to see if this is the right option for you.
Through our partnerships we work with lots of different supported accommodation providers. In this type of accommodation, you will have your own room or studio, sometimes ensuite, but it will also have some spaces such as a kitchen or lounge which are shared.
In these homes there are different levels of support staff who will spend time with you helping you prepare to live independently and work towards achieving your own tenancy in the future.
Your social worker and PA will help you to understand the different options available for supported accommodation and work with you and the provider so that you understand the house rules and then plan the time that you are in supported accommodation if this is the right housing option for you.
In these homes there are different levels of support staff who will spend time with you helping you prepare to live independently and work towards achieving your own tenancy in the future.
Your social worker and PA will help you to understand the different options available for supported accommodation and work with you and the provider so that you understand the house rules and then plan the time that you are in supported accommodation if this is the right housing option for you.
At the age of 18, you may decide to return to family, even if this is something that we couldn’t agree was the right plan for you before you turned 18. This will of course be your choice as a young adult. If this is a decision that you make, we will work with you and your family to make this as positive an experience as possible, even if our advice is that you should seek alternative accommodation. Remember, our job is to advise you and do our best to help you be safe and secure. If you return to family and things do not work out, then we will help you look for other options.
Although you have turned 18 and may want to live independently, finding and keeping a tenancy on your own and living in your own accommodation is not always easy.
We will work with you to help prepare you to be “tenancy ready,” and to hold a tenancy, and when you achieve your own tenancy, we will work with you to help you to maintain this with other relevant professions as a “team around the tenancy.” We will not recommend that you have your own tenancy until we think that you are ready to hold one, because losing a tenancy can have a long-term impact on your housing options.
Having your own tenancy can be complicated as there are lot of things that you will need to consider, like paying bills on time, agreeing to, and living by the rules of landlords, budgeting, keeping your home safe from people who may want to exploit you. Your PA will work with you on all these things so don’t worry but will also want to be sure that you are ready to live independently before you do.
If you decide that you want to register for a social housing tenancy, we will support you to do this. In Devon this is through Devon Home Choice, who access all the social tenancies in Devon. We can help you to register on Devon Home Choice just before your 18th birthday. This does not mean that you will automatically get a tenancy in social housing. Housing services across Devon will work with you and your PA to help you to evidence that you are tenancy ready, and at that point will provide you with what we call an increased banding to enable you bid on properties that may be of interest to you.
We will work with you to help prepare you to be “tenancy ready,” and to hold a tenancy, and when you achieve your own tenancy, we will work with you to help you to maintain this with other relevant professions as a “team around the tenancy.” We will not recommend that you have your own tenancy until we think that you are ready to hold one, because losing a tenancy can have a long-term impact on your housing options.
Having your own tenancy can be complicated as there are lot of things that you will need to consider, like paying bills on time, agreeing to, and living by the rules of landlords, budgeting, keeping your home safe from people who may want to exploit you. Your PA will work with you on all these things so don’t worry but will also want to be sure that you are ready to live independently before you do.
If you decide that you want to register for a social housing tenancy, we will support you to do this. In Devon this is through Devon Home Choice, who access all the social tenancies in Devon. We can help you to register on Devon Home Choice just before your 18th birthday. This does not mean that you will automatically get a tenancy in social housing. Housing services across Devon will work with you and your PA to help you to evidence that you are tenancy ready, and at that point will provide you with what we call an increased banding to enable you bid on properties that may be of interest to you.
We want to work with you in a planned way to try and stop crisis from happening, keeping your accommodation settled, and ensuring that moves happen in a planned way. However, if for some reason you are suddenly faced with nowhere to stay, we will work with our housing colleagues to ensure that you have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head whilst we plan together about what happens next to ensure that you have accommodation again.
We know that sometimes for some young people housing crises happen. We also recognise that this can be a frightening time creating anxiety about where you will stay. Your PA will support you with this if this happens.
We know that sometimes for some young people housing crises happen. We also recognise that this can be a frightening time creating anxiety about where you will stay. Your PA will support you with this if this happens.
Financial support relating to housing
If your wish is to have a tenancy with a private landlord, there will often be a need for a guarantor. This is someone who the landlord would turn to if there was a problem with your rent.
Devon County Council operates a Guarantor Scheme for our care experienced young people to help them obtain private tenancies. This can help private landlords feel confident to offer tenancies to our young people.
Your PA will need to help you to apply for this, you will need to demonstrate that you are ready to hold a tenancy and that you have sufficient income to cover both your rent and living costs. Your PA will work with you to help determine this and where appropriate help you apply for the guarantor scheme.
District Councils usually operate deposit guarantee/rent in advance schemes if you are over 18 to secure accommodation in the private sector. Devon County Council will also provide this if it is not available from your District Council.
Devon County Council operates a Guarantor Scheme for our care experienced young people to help them obtain private tenancies. This can help private landlords feel confident to offer tenancies to our young people.
Your PA will need to help you to apply for this, you will need to demonstrate that you are ready to hold a tenancy and that you have sufficient income to cover both your rent and living costs. Your PA will work with you to help determine this and where appropriate help you apply for the guarantor scheme.
District Councils usually operate deposit guarantee/rent in advance schemes if you are over 18 to secure accommodation in the private sector. Devon County Council will also provide this if it is not available from your District Council.
Moving into your own place can be costly! We provide you with an allowance to help you get on your way with what is needed to make your accommodation your home. If you left care after 1 April 2024, we will provide you with up to £3,000 as a setting up home allowance. If you left care before April 2024, you will get an allowance of £2,000. This is to help you to buy things that are needed for day-to-day living. Your PA will work with you to help you think about what essentials you should spend this on and help you to ensure that it is used to get what you need.
You can access up to £250 of this setting up home allowance if you move into supported accommodation. This is to ensure that you have the essential items that will help your move into this sort of accommodation.
You can access up to £250 of this setting up home allowance if you move into supported accommodation. This is to ensure that you have the essential items that will help your move into this sort of accommodation.
Devon Care Leavers do not have to pay Council Tax until they reach the age of 25.
However, if you live in Devon you do have to register for Council Tax and then you will be supported to claim your exemption. Your PA will work with you to achieve this so don’t worry.
If you live outside of Devon, then you will have to register for Council Tax in the area that you live. Your PA will then help you to claim any local exemptions that you may be entitled to. Devon County Council will then pay any difference left on your council tax bill.
Please note this is an offer to you as a Care Leaver. If you live with someone who is not a care leaver, and they are responsible for council tax, then exemptions will only apply to your part of the council tax.
However, if you live in Devon you do have to register for Council Tax and then you will be supported to claim your exemption. Your PA will work with you to achieve this so don’t worry.
If you live outside of Devon, then you will have to register for Council Tax in the area that you live. Your PA will then help you to claim any local exemptions that you may be entitled to. Devon County Council will then pay any difference left on your council tax bill.
Please note this is an offer to you as a Care Leaver. If you live with someone who is not a care leaver, and they are responsible for council tax, then exemptions will only apply to your part of the council tax.
If you live independently and live within the areas served by either South West Water or Bournemouth Water, you can receive a maximum discount of 85% off your water bill up until your 21st birthday. To access the scheme, you must be solely named on your water bill and must complete a consent form. Please speak to you PA for full details about how to access the scheme.
If you are signed up to the scheme, your water company will contact you shortly before your 21st birthday to notify you that you are due to be removed from the care leaver care discount, but they will also promote other support available to you (depending on affordability).
If you are signed up to the scheme, your water company will contact you shortly before your 21st birthday to notify you that you are due to be removed from the care leaver care discount, but they will also promote other support available to you (depending on affordability).
We will work with you to explore any moving costs you may have and will contribute to the costs of one house move if needed.