The Devon Homelessness Managers Group have worked together with the Devon Youth Association, Devon Supporting People and Devon County Council to expand a Devon Supported Lodgings Scheme to prevent homelessness in vulnerable young people.

The scheme has been available for care leavers in Devon for some time but Housing Departments have always struggled to access, and pay for, placements for vulnerable young people who had never been in the care system. Now, as a result of the recent expansion there are 27 placements available for the sole use of Housing Departments to use as homelessness prevention. The expansion was launched on September 1st 2006.

The scheme is jointly commissioned between Devon County Council Children and Young People Services, Supporting People and Local Housing Authorities. The success of the scheme is monitored through a multiagency group involving all partners. It is hoped that this scheme will help Local Authorities to meet the Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA) stretched target to prevent homelessness and reduce repaeat homelessness among vulnerable young people.

The scheme is used as a last resort and where all other prevention interventions have failed. A placement typically involves a room within a family home with access to the wider support and projects of the Devon Youth Association can offer. As well as the "host" providing support a DYA worker also provides independent floating support for the young person. DYA manage the scheme and the placements and provide support for the host.

This is an exciting scheme because it enables vulnerable young people to access supported accommodation where they want or need to be. This is particularly useful in the rural areas of Devon where young people might otherwise have had to move away from friends, family, or school to access accommodation.