About YMCA Open Door
YMCA Open Door been providing Supported Lodgings and Nightstop for 16-25 year olds across the Black Country since 2009. We place care leavers or people at risk of homelessness with Hosts/Host families – people who have been trained by the YMCA and have also been approved to Host by our Approval Panel.
The criteria for young people to be considered for a Host placement is that they should be considered low risk and at the most medium support need.
Why are Host placements needed?
By placing a young person with a Host family, they benefit from a warm and caring environment in which they are able to thrive and flourish. The environment provided by Hosts is often conducive to young people maintaining training and education as well as improved mental health.
It is a huge responsibility for care leaver/homeless young people to live independently and Hosts families help to provide a smooth transition for young people to progress into full independence.
Types of Accommodation
Nightstop
Cost
£40 per night
Type of Host Placement
Emergency short term, night-by-night basis
Access to the House
Young person Comes back in the evening and leaves in the morning
End of Placement
YMCA or referrer can end placement immediately
Commitment and Support from YMCA
Regular communication with Host and referrer
Night & Daystop
Cost
£50 per night
Type of Host Placement
Emergency short term, night-by-night basis
Access to the House
Young person is allowed to stay with the Host whilst they are in the house during the daytime as well as night
End of Placement
YMCA or referrer can end placement immediately
Commitment and Support from YMCA
Regular communication with Host and referrer
Supported Lodgings
Cost
£195pw support costs (This is covered for most 16/17 year olds under our Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley LA contracts)
+
£153.11pw rent which can be covered by benefits if YP is entitled.
In addition, *Young Person’s self-contribution of £13 (utilities) + £13 (food if required)
Type of Host Placement
Longer term – Young person has a licence agreement
Access to the House
Young person has a key and can come and go freely as long as they return by the agreed time
End of Placement
Notice is given by Referrer or YMCA if a placement needs to end. This would normally be 28 days or 14 days.
3-way meetings and warning procedure in place as a process to resolve issues.
Commitment and Support from YMCA
Regular communication with Host and referrer Weekly contact/check-ins from a project worker Monthly support meetings/support plan 3-way meetings Help to access training/education if necessary
Expectations of YMCA Staff, Hosts and Referrers
For both our Nighstop and Supported Lodgings offerings, we would like to provide some clarity about what to expect from the YMCA and our Hosts and also what we expect from referring agencies, the table below makes this clear.
Please note that for Nightstop, it is not the responsibility of YMCA staff to deliver support meetings, support with benefits, access to education/work and communication with the young person is done through the referrer. The Host is also not expected to attend meetings with the young person, support with benefits, liase with professionals etc.
Nightstop
- A safe, homely environment and a listening ear
- An evening meal, breakfast and basic lunch provision
- Toiletries
- Details about when the young person needs to return, information about the placement e.g. names of family members and phone numbers
Supported Lodgings
- A safe, homely environment and a listening ear
- Food provision if young person is on Option 2 (£26 pw)
- Clear guidelines and boundaries for the young person to follow based on what has been included in the placement agreement
- A key and access to the property throughout the day/night
Nightstop
- Staff to be in regular contact with referrer to discuss how the placement is going, communicate any concerns
- Staff to be in regular contact with Host/s regularly to make sure that there are no issues with the placement
Supported Lodgings
- Regular communication with Host and referrer
- Project worker to contact weekly/check-in with YP
- Monthly support meetings/support plan
- 3-way meetings
- Staff to be in regular contact with Host/s regularly to make sure that there are no issues with the placement
- Transportation of young person at beginning/end of placement if necessary
Nightstop
- Transportation of young person at beginning/end of placement
- Communicate with the young person arrangements for the placement and outline the expectations from the YMCA
- Communicate with the YMCA directly about the placement and if there are any concerns to raise these promptly
- Provide support to the young person e.g. any benefit claims, issues to do with training, relaying concerns as expressed from YMCA
- Attend any meetings which concern the young person e.g. CIN, professional’s meetings etc
Supported Lodgings
- Ensure that YP has ID, NINO and support to access benefits
- Communicate with the YMCA directly about the placement and if there are any concerns to raise these promptly
- Inform YMCA of change of personnel or withdrawal of support to the YP
- Attend any meetings which concern the young person e.g. CIN, professional’s meetings etc
Feedback
If our Hosts or staff have done something worthy of commendation, please let us know here. We also welcome any suggestions, feedback or if you would like to express a concern.