"I walked in the door and I couldn't believe it. It stank and there was woodchip wallpaper all over the walls. It was in a terrible state." Moving can be stressful at any time, but for care leaver Tomas Foley it was especially daunting.
Enrolled in university, Foley didn't have any choice regarding his local authority-provided accommodation. Furthermore, he had no budget or skills to furnish or redecorate it.
Foley, now southern development worker at care leavers charity A National Voice, says accommodation is one of the biggest problems for children leaving care. "In many housing departments care leavers are at the bottom of the pile. A single 18-year-old man is just not seen as vulnerable," he says.
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