Accommodation
We have developed a range of accommodation options for you in North Tyneside.
Helping you to find a place to live
One of the biggest decisions we will support you with is choosing where you are going to live. In North Tyneside we have listened to our young people and have developed a range of accommodation: when it is time for you to move into your own home your social worker and personal adviser will help you with this, looking at appropriate options and support that is available.
Living on your own or with friends means being able to look after yourself, do all the things you need to do and being part of your community. There are practical skills to learn such as cooking and cleaning; it is important to pay bills, arrange services, look after your health and have a routine. It is also important to be happy and living alone can be a big change, sometimes a lonely one. Your Pathway Plan will look at what you want to learn before moving to your own place and agree who will help you with this and how.
Budgeting is a major skill for everyone, it is hard to start thinking about paying rent, water, gas, electric, wi-fi and phone bills! You need to plan what you can afford and how much spare money you have left. When you are preparing to move into your new home your personal advisor will help you to work out a budget plan and to avoid getting into debt, which can be very stressful. It is much better to manage with the money that you have. If you are applying for your own first home, housing may ask you to complete a financial assessment to make sure you can afford to run a home.
Your responsibilities
Wherever you live it is your responsibility to make sure you do what is expected of you, including keeping the place tidy, helping with chores and making a financial contribution or paying bills if required. Once you are 18 you will be asked to pay rent in all supported accommodation places, and you might be asked to make a contribution to the family home if you are Staying Put. Paying your rent is one of your main responsibilities as not paying can lead to debt or losing your home and we do not want that to happen. If you are worried about paying your rent or have rent arrears, it is important to speak to your PA as soon as possible and they may be able to help you set up a manageable repayment plan.
What we can do
Explain your accommodation options to you so you can think about your future.
Discuss housing options within North Tyneside such as: Elm House (Staying Close), Starting Point, Staying put and Gateway.
Help you develop the skills you need to manage your next steps, including a budgeting plan and being a good neighbour.
Provide practical support when moving into your home, such as supporting you to furnish your home and helping build life skills, including self-care, cooking, shopping and laundry.
Support you to apply to housing and other agencies.
A housing support officer is available to contact for advice and guidance on managing your tenancy.
Support you through housing concerns, including providing support if you are threatened with or lose a tenancy.
What we can’t do
Give you a flat or act as a guarantor.
Pay deposits and bonds for private property.
Replace your setting up costs.
Pay any debts or rent arrears that you get.
We do not pay off any rent arrears. However, if you speak to your PA and make a plan to repay any rent arrears we may help you by matching the payments that you show you have made for one set of arrears only (see above). This will help you to reduce your arrears more quickly but will not be repeated. Remember that if you have rent arrears this can stop you from being accepted for a new home or moving on.
Your accommodation options
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These are our children’s homes where young people can live until 17. Sycamore House has now established Elm House so that young
people moving on from Sycamore or Riverdale can stay in nearby supported accommodation until age 21 and get support from staff they already know. This is our Staying Close offer.
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We can offer you supported accommodation where you have your own flat or live in shared accommodation and there are staff available on site until age 21. There is also the option to move on to a Starting Point trainer flat or to your own tenancy and get ongoing outreach support from people you know until age 25, and you are always welcome to come and visit when you do move on.
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If you live with foster carers and you would both like this to continue after 18, you can make a Staying Put agreement where you can stay at home until 21 or until you are ready to move on. Your social worker will talk to you about this at 17 or earlier and will also talk to you about making a contribution to the family home that would be usual at this age.
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Your social worker or personal advisor can help you to apply to Gateway for supported accommodation in DePaul or Maritime. These are good stepping stones for getting ready to manage your own place and offer a mixture of communal living or flats with support.
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YMCA also offer supported accommodation.
For all of these options your social worker or PA can talk you through them and arrange to take you to visit places you are interested in.
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If you are a Former Relevant young person, we will provide you with accommodation throughout the year when you study your first degree up to the cost of £145 per week; this will be in halls of residence or shared student accommodation. You must start your degree before age 21 for us to do this.
If this accommodation is not available all year round, arrangements can be made for holiday times. Once you know which university you are going to, you can look at the accommodation available and we will arrange to secure that for you. If you decide to move into a shared house with friends at university, we will pay your part of the rent when you have your name on a tenancy. We will be happy to fund your accommodation throughout your first degree as long as you start this before reaching 21 years of age, at no more than £145 each week, we will not pay for premium accommodation and any costs above this would be your responsibility; we encourage you to find accommodation in this price range so that you do not need additional loans. We do not provide a living allowance and you will need to access student finance for this (see Education section for information about bursaries).
There is no further bursary or payment towards accommodation after your first degree however if it is included in your Pathway Plan, we may continue to be available to offer advice throughout postgraduate training if this starts before but continues after age 25.
If you are a Qualifying young person, we can support you to access accommodation during holiday times from university if you do not have accommodation options but we do not provide accommodation during term time; you should speak to the Leaving Care Team about what might be available to you.
Additional Support
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From April 2025 the 12 local North East authorities have agreed to offer council tax exemption to you if you are a Former relevant care leaver from one of those authorities and live in one of those authorities. This offer is for you if you have a named tenancy and are Former relevant up to age 25.
If you are one of our young people and live in North Tyneside, you will be exempt from Council tax until your 25th birthday.
If you move to one of the other 11 authorities, you must apply for council tax reduction and then apply to that authority as a Care leaver – you will then be exempt from Council tax until your 25th birthday.
If you live outside of the 12 local authorities involved, you must apply for council tax reduction to that authority. Once this is applied we will pay the remaining council tax bill until your 25th birthday.
In the 12 local authorities, including North Tyneside, you will be fully exempt even when you live with someone else, as long as you are named on the Council Tax bill.
At 25, a new bill will be administered and you will be responsible for your Council Tax.
If you have paid any council tax in the 12 local authorities since April 2025, you can apply for this to be refunded.
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When you are approaching 18 you can make a Homefinder application for social housing either on your own or with someone else. Having your own tenancy is a big responsibility so we need to make sure you are ready for it; if you lose it through not paying bills or through disturbing other people, it can be very difficult to get another tenancy. Housing will undertake a financial assessment with you to see what you can afford and you may be offered an introductory tenancy to help you get used to managing things like bills. For your first property you may be given priority banding according to housing rules. An introductory tenancy can last for a year or more, if everything goes well then you can be offered a full tenancy in the same property. Your Housing Officer will support you and let you know how things are going. It is important to work with your Housing Officer as they can help you with any problems. Your PA can also talk to them with you.
Care leavers can now apply for housing in any authority, however you might still only be given priority band where you have a local connection - usually the place you have lived or have family connection.
If you are receiving Universal Credit, it is a good idea to get the housing element of that paid directly to your landlord so that you know your rent is paid. Your personal advisor can help you with this. You are still responsible for paying your water rates from your universal credit or salary.
You can apply for a reduction in your water rates and we are looking into this increasing.
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Once you have your name on a tenancy, you can access your setting up costs up to the value of £3,000. (This has increased from April 2023 to match rising living costs, it cannot be backdated). From your setting up costs you must buy carpets for your home, your white goods (cooker, fridge/freezer, washing machine), TV (if you want one), a bed and other necessary items such as furniture before you can start looking at items such as soft furnishings. These are your things and you can take them with you when you move, they are also your responsibility and will not be replaced. If your home already has some of these items, then it is best if you save some of your money for when you move again in future. These items can be bought or ordered with the Leaving Care Team, you are not provided with cash. If you decide to live with a friend or partner then you can access half of your setting up costs at first. This is to make sure you are settled and happy and don’t spend all of your money in one go because if you move you could be left with nothing.
Update: we have produced a list which gives you guide prices about what you can spend on each item – your PA can support you with this.
If you return to live with your family then you will not be provided with these setting up costs while living there. You may be able to get help with items such as a bed or particular furniture if this helps you to be settled at home. You can access your setting up costs up to age 25 even if you have left the service as long as you have your name on a tenancy.
If you are in custody at the time of turning 25 and have setting up costs remaining, you can access these for 6 months following your release from custody.
If you are a qualifying young person, you can apply for specific support with setting up costs such as a bed or some furniture which will be decided on an individual basis.