Project
Get Real
Funding
Initial investment of around £32,000 to convert two properties to house seven young people. Running costs are funded from housing benefit averaging £90 a week per young person plus a £5 a week service charge
Background
Mohammad Bashar Al-hneidi joined Barnet Council as its youth mediation co-ordinator in 2009, helping to prevent youth homelessness by resolving family disputes. In cases where mediation did not work, many young people were housed in temporary accommodation and were then "lost" within six months, he says. "The majority dropped out of education, started smoking - and not just cigarettes - and lost track of their aims and objectives," he explains. "They believed that if they stuck with temporary accommodation long enough, they'd get a council home eventually. I was saying to them: 'Get real'. So that's how the project got its name."
Action
Al-hneidi was keen to provide an alternative for these young people, by converting properties into shared accommodation. The idea was they would receive housing and individual support to help them become self-sufficient and fulfil their potential in exchange for a commitment to education, employment or training. However, he initially came up against resistance from other professionals concerned about potential antisocial behaviour given the fact the accommodation would be unsupervised.
When housing duties transferred from Barnet Council to its arms-length management organisation Barnet Homes in 2012, Al-hneidi presented the idea to the organisation's executive and within three months it was up and running.
The first three young people, aged between 16 and 18, moved in in February last year. As the first point of contact for many homeless young people in Barnet, Al-hneidi was able to identify those most likely to commit to the scheme.
When they move in, participants get about three hours a week of one-to-one support from Al-hneidi for the first six weeks. He helps them get their lives on track by establishing what they want to achieve and the steps they need to take. He drops into the houses unannounced around once a week to ensure young residents are progressing with their education or employment, and getting on well, and to help them with any issues that have come up such as sorting out benefits. He also facilitates a regular meeting to help them resolve any disputes. The idea is young people can stay in Get Real houses for up to two years before they move on, but there is flexibility depending on their needs.
Outcome
Nine of the 11 young people who have been housed by the project so far have got into education, training or employment and sustained it as a result of the scheme. The other two were already in education or employment and received support to stick with it.
