New government commitment to provide supported housing for 16 and 17 year olds
In his speech to the Labour Party conference on 29 September Gordon Brown announced that all 16 and 17 year old teenage parents who are provided with housing at public expense should receive housing with support. This announcement is part of a new broader commitment to by 2012 provide housing with support for all 16 and 17 year olds, including teenage parents in that age group, who cannot stay with their family.
The government is committing additional funds through the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) to deliver this commitment and CLG and the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) have confirmed that "young people and parents will be offered a range of different support options, depending on their need. This can include Foyer and supported housing project, supported lodgings or floating support".
A note on the initiative has been published by DCSF/CLG