The case of an ex-care leaver, highlighting the lack of joined up government to benefits for young people:

We have a 20 year old lad here at present who is a care leaver. We had a Pathway Plan meeting the other day with NCH and they can offer funding for him to do a course at college, game-keeping was talked of, but we had to ditch that idea because of course he could not get housing benefit for the roof over his head, unless he had started the course before he turned 19yrs old.

So now what is the person supposed to do now?  

A new report by Rainer highlights some of the problems of debt among young people.

"85% of homeless young people are in debt and Rainer's research showed that the young people it supported are left with an average of just five pounds per week."

Rainer also calls for reform of the benefit system to remove delays and provide better advice to those who are in financial trouble.

Safe to say, we second that!

We have a 24 year old resident who claims JSA and works part time, their hours vary but are normally just under 16 hours each week.

This resident wanted to take a GCSE course in Science, as they felt it would increase their employment prospects, and found an evening course at the local adult education college. This course was for 2 1/2 hours per week on one weekday evening.

When they checked this with the Job Centre they were was told that if they enrolled they would have to close their JSA claim, as this combined with their part-time work took them over the 16 hours.

Our resident didn't feel that doing this course in the evening would hinder their availability to look for or be available for work and they feel that this sort of decision is actually hindering their efforts to make themselves more employable and find  full-time employment.

 Brentwood Foyer

“I have worked with many Foyer residents who come to Foyer with no lifeskills and little confidence. Together we work through the profile of achievement, building their confidence and life skills. When they come to the end of the profile they then feel ready to go back to go back to full-time education. In most cases the young person is over the age of 19 so therefore are not able to go into full-time college. The young people feel frustrated, let down and angry. I feel frustrated, angry and worried for my young person’s future. One young person I was working with, who finished the profile of achievement and then faced these barriers, stopped engaging with me and other workers, started drinking and taking drugs and nearly lost her tenancy”.

Rivka Jacobs, Independent Living Skills tutor, Bristol Foyer.

“I was kicked out by my mum and slept in a car for two weeks using my friends’ bathrooms to wash. It was very hard emotionally. Shelter advised me to go to Welwyn Hatfield Foyer and I have been living here for three months. The best thing about Foyer is that I have independence and responsibility and get help with gaining qualifications and employment. At the moment I am looking for work, but would like to go back to complete my British Horse Society training, but can’t because of housing benefit problems. I feel really let down by the government because I can’t achieve my dream which is to complete the course I started. I have been with horses all my life and riding since I was two years old. All I want to do is to complete my training but I can’t because the course is due to take three years and my benefits will stop in February 2006 when I turn 19”.

Welwyn Hatfield Foyer resident

“I want to develop a career in catering, but am being prevented from this by the New Deal being inflexible!

I have found myself a course doing a Professional Cookery combined with an English as a second language course. It was perfect because it was a course that was constructive and give me more skills and training, as well as keeping up my English language study.

However, when I spoke to my New Deal advisor he said that I would have to do a course in Basic Employment Training-Literacy that would last six months. He even told me that if I continued on the Professional Cookery course, he would stop my benefits. The Professional Cookery course tutor even agreed that I could go on the course, but even then the New Deal wouldn’t allow it.

I couldn’t believe it! It makes no sense. I’m being prevented from taking a course that would help me become a chef while also improving my English, to go on a course that leads to nothing in particular. If I was allowed to do the course I wanted to, I’ll be off benefits very soon. Now, by doing what the New Deal wants me to do, I’ll probably be on benefits for much longer. I don’t want to be on benefits! I just want to get training to go into work.”

Resident, Gateway Foyer 

I always wanted to do a HND Beauty Therapy Management course. I studied 2 years before starting the HND, NVQ 2 B3 Beauty Therapy, as this was needed as an entry requirement. Although I studied beauty therapy, my intention was always to go into management. I enrolled on the HND course, after spending a month on the course I realised that there were going to be extra expenses (eg memory sticks, stationary) that I hadn’t budgeted for and couldn’t afford even though I was in receipt of a loan and had received a grant that paid for tuition fees. I realised that the loan had to be saved because when I reached 19 I would no longer be entitled to income support and housing benefit. This would mean me having to work full time as well as study four days a week at college, plus all the home studying required to do the course.

After reaching the decision that it would not financially be possible to continue on the course, I went to seek work, and close my Income Support claim. I was then informed by a keyworker at the Chichester Foyer that I should have never been given a loan, so then I faced the possibility of having a large debt through no fault of my own as I had informed everyone that needed to know that I was in receipt of Income Support.

Now after 3 weeks of officially withdrawing myself from the course, I have been told that I could have continued to study until I was 20. Although my local income support office was not even aware of this themselves, until told by my keyworker.

I now work in the Body Shop, and have no possible way of returning to college to study as the course I wanted is not being run again. My future career prospects have been completely destroyed by wrong information and the ridiculous rule of only being supported until you are 19.

“I had a troubled home with me and my brother, as my mum was a single parent and we did not always see eye to eye. I left education at 15 before taking my GCSE’s so I left with no qualifications. When my mum no longer received child benefits she couldn’t afford to keep me. So I left home at 17 and went to stay with my auntie in London. My dad, who was living in Kenya, was then diagnosed with cancer and I stayed with him until he passed away. When I got back from Kenya I was homeless. I was told about the Bristol Foyer and applied immediately. It took about six weeks to sort out and in the meantime I had to stay in emergency accommodation which was not pleasant to say the least!

When entering the Foyer I was unemployed and not in education and had no desire to be. But I did the profile of achievement doing the music sessions, which I got a lot out of because I hadn’t done any education for so long. Then when I finally did decide to return to full-time study I was told I couldn’t because I was over 19. Now I am doing an access course which is only part-time, but I am not allowed to receive E.M.A. even though people in far better situations are. I also do yoga and music at the Foyer.

The Foyer has helped me by giving me a stable base to live, from which to build a life for myself. My ambition for the future is to study astrophysics, but I feel that the government and the Department for Work and Pensions make it extremely difficult for young people to return to education successfully if they are living on their own and over 19”.

“I lived in Boston for six months when I was unfairly evicted. I was then moved into an emergency hostel run by the council for 28 days. It was an awful place that smelled of rotting food, stale cigarette smoke and unwashed people. Two weeks before I got evicted my adviser from Connexions gave me an application form for Sleaford Foyer and the next Thursday I had my interview with the manager. She showed me around and told me about what a Foyer does and it sounded great. I moved in the following Monday and was nervous at first, but as soon as the other residents starting talking to me I felt a lot better. Now two months later I am Resident Representative of my Foyer and I’m the person that help make residents, both old and new, feel more relaxed in our home. At the moment I am suffering from depression and this is the reason I gave up on my performing arts course two years ago. Now I am just starting to get to the bottom of the reasons behind my depression and want to get back into performing arts. But I will be 19 by the time I can get back into a college course and will loose my entitlement to housing benefit. This is not fair and I want the legislation changed so that we can get full-time education and still have help with housing benefit”.

Kymberley Byrne, Sleaford Foyer resident.

“I live in a Foyer. After being evicted from a short-hold tenancy I was homeless and in desperate need of help. The Foyer gave me the lifeline I needed, offering a roof over my head and the chance to continue A-Levels. I am hoping to go to university, but am being held back by the 16 Hour Housing Benefit Rule. This means I have to work during term time to earn enough money to live. I cannot concentrate on college because I work all night and therefore cannot complete my coursework, as I have no energy to do it. I work from 6.45pm to 3am. I attend college from 9am to 4.15pm. I cannot afford public transport. It is 2 miles to college from home, 2 miles back to home from college. 2 ½ miles to work and 2 ½ miles from work to home. I walk! I am tired, fed up and exhausted. The 16 Hour Rule is making my grades fall, and seriously restricting my chances of going to university. I want to be a teacher. I want the job the government is desperately trying to promote, yet it is the government who are destroying my chances of getting that far. I just want to learn, just want the chance to give something back to society. I don’t understand why I am not allowed to do that”.

“Mark always wanted to go to university. To achieve this he needed to complete an Access Course. He was the 19 years old. In order not to be further late to start his Higher Education he wanted to do this course full time. Nevertheless, he was dependant on his Housing Benefit to be able to pay his rent regularly to the Foyer yet he decided to study full time so that he could reach his goal sooner. He lost his benefits but managed to find a part time job in retail so that he could remain in the Foyer. However, he could not cope with the burden of studying and working simultaneously and had to abandon the course half way through.

This September, Mark enrolled to the Access Course again so that he could give his last try to his dreams to come true. He is now 21 and still studying his Access course for University but part time.”

We have 1 resident who, when she turned 19 in December 2005, had her Housing Benefit stopped because she was in full time education. Because of this the Foyer fundraised to keep her here through the generosity of the local people and churches. Unfortunately, the funding ran out in April 2006. Since then she has been accumulating more and more debts through her rent and is sadly going to university in October with a debt of £1,500 hanging over her head which she will need to pay back. This is not how any student wants to start university!

A Foyer resident was 18 and she started on an NVQ Level 3 in Child Care. Just four months before the course finished she turned 19 and had to give up on the qualification as she couldn't afford to lose the housing benefit for 4 months.

"He was 24 and wanted to study for his A'Levels including history - he wanted to go to University to do a BA in History. But A'Levels were not allowed him on the New Deal. He found a job after living on JSA for four months in a call-centre and is now working there. He was a very committed guy, very focused. He would have gone to University if he'd got to do his A'Levels."

"He was studying for A'levels in Irish, History and Politics. Before he was supported by his family but he'd had a very tragic life in the family and he failed his courses. He came to the Foyer six months before he was due to turn 19. He wanted to study again but he couldn't afford to lose the benefits. He has now given up on his education and is working in a pub."

"19 years old - he wanted to study and Access to Science course for University entry, but for him to continue receiving Housing Benefit he gave up on his education. He started to work in retail, and started part-time study. But he couldn't cope with both and came off the course. This September he started to study and work part-time again. He could have already finished his Access course and entered higher education."

"She was 19 and living with her mum, but she had to leave home. She was doing A'Levels in Maths, English and Art & Design. When she came to the Foyer she was told that she would have to cut down the studying as courses were over 16 hours. She started to cry. She didn't want to. But she needed the benefits so she dropped Maths and English. She lost all her motivation. She should have had the chance to do 3 A'Levels and possibly go onto university."

“Before I became homeless I was living with my ex-boyfriend. When I moved out I found out that I could move into the Foyer where my brother lived. The support from the staff in the Foyer is brilliant. I want to go to college full-time for two years to become a beauty therapist, but I can’t as I will lose all my benefits. It is very frustrating as it is something I have always wanted to do. I am disappointed in the government as they make out that education is important but people like me over 19 don’t get a chance”.

“I moved out of home because I fell out with my mum when I was 16. I moved out of home and lived in a hostel for two months. It was a hostel for all ages and there were a lot of ex-offenders there and people who had problems with drugs and alcohol. It was a difficult place for me to go as I was only 16 coming straight from home.

That was during the time I had to sit my GCSEs, and it was difficult to think about exams while living in that environment. It was a stressful time, and I know I didn’t do as well as I could do in the exams because of that. I passed most of them, but the stress led me to miss some exams so I obviously failed those subjects.

I always interested in design and fashion, so I tried to break into the fashion industry by working at Topshop. It was my careers adviser’s suggestion, but I don’t think it was good advice at all and there seemed no chance of getting involved in the creative side of things at all.

I moved into the Foyer a few months later. The atmosphere in a Foyer is so much better than at the hostel. The support from the staff has been very good. They helped me see my options, and after I decided that I wanted to go to college to do a fashion course they helped me find the best one for me.

I’ve been doing the course for some months now. I knew it wouldn’t be easy financially, and to afford it I am working 4 or sometimes 5 nights a week, so it can get quite tiring to work and study, but I am getting through it. The only problem is that I will turn 19 before the beginning of my second year, and I’m afraid that when that happens I’ll lose my entitlement to housing benefit. I don’t know what I’ll do then. If I work more hours to make up the money I’ll have no time to study. And if I have to withdraw from the course I’ll be back to where I was before, without qualifications and without a chance of going on to university. It would make a lot more sense if I was able to complete the course as I’d be in a better situation to contribute to society and I would be less likely to need any benefits in future.

My relationship with my mum has improved a lot since I moved out as we both have more space. So since moving in to the Foyer, my life and the opportunities that I have are suddenly a lot brighter.

18 year-old LA has spent the last 2 years living in various forms of housing and hostels. After 6 months at the Foyer she was moved on to a self-contained supported flat in West Rhyl. The staff supported the move, as they considered that her confidence and determination to succeed, as well as her lifeskills, had improved enough for her to live independently.

At this point her time with Skillbuild ended because of her age, and she went onto JSA. LA had got used to the routine of attending Rhyl College (which she also attended when she was staying in a Colwyn Bay hostel for the homeless), and as she enjoyed the college lifestyle, she decided to enrol there on a Level 2 Childcare course. She was doing well on the course until the housing benefit department required evidence of her training status. When she told then that she was doing a full-time course, she was told that her benefits would be stopped, which would result in her housing benefit also being stopped, thus making her homeless once more. She made an effort to complete part-time modules, but this was unsuccessful, so she was forced to leave college and stay at home on benefits.

Thanks to the complications and restrictions of the current system, LA’s preferred career in childcare seems further away than ever. Her ambitions, confidence and self-esteem are at rock bottom, and she feels that despite her past struggles and efforts the system has failed her.