What is Supporting Tenants

We are a project that supports young people living in their own homes working across Sheffield, in council, housing association and private rented accommodation. Stencil works with young people to provide the level of support necessary for them to maintain their own tenancies, empowering them to continue this once support has been withdrawn.

How do I get support from Supporting Tenants ?

Stencil can work with anyone aged 16 to 25. Referrals are accepted from people living in or waiting to get their own tenancy and in need of support to sustain their tenancy.

Stencil accepts referrals from any agency or people can self refer.

Stencil aims to follow a first come, first served policy when allocating support, but it may sometimes be necessary to prioritise a referral based on need.  The needs that may result in higher priority are:

• Pregnant women or parents aged under 18
• 16-17 year olds
• Young people with an urgent housing need that if immediately met will prevent eviction
• Young people without access to other support around issues affecting their tenancy

How does the scheme work?

The ethos underpinning all aspects of the work is one of empowerment.

• All service users are allocated a named key worker who they see on a regular basis to work on developing the practical skills necessary to maintain their own homes.
• All service users have a comprehensive assessment, including a risk assessment. This identifies the young person’s own issues and wishes, what support they need, their goals and any other areas where they need to develop new skills.
• A support plan will be drawn up with the young person and the keyworker consisting of individual tasks to help the young person achieve the goals identified in their assessment.

Young people are expected to be fully involved in negotiating and working through their support plans to achieve these goals. The support plan will be reviewed every three months, with a formal review of progress on a six month basis.

All people supported by us are actively encouraged to get involved in activities and sessions. They are offered opportunities to be involved in staff recruitment, policy/procedure reviews and to provide feedback about all aspects of the service we provide.

What can I get support with?

Stencil can provide you with support around any aspects of managing your own home; this includes the initial aspects such as applying for benefits, grants and setting up utilities. Providing you with support around education, training, employment or getting out to meet new people. Stencil can also support you around drug, alcohol or mental health issues.

For further information please contact 0114 2536797