Housing support for young people

If you are aged 16 or 17, you can get housing options advice and support from 1st Base. You can also get help if you are a care leaver under 21 who is at risk of becoming homeless.

Our aim is to help you stay safely at home wherever possible, and to provide services to support this.

Please note: Due to fire damage in Woolwich New Road, 1st Base services for young people at The Point in Woolwich have been moved to The Riverside Centre on Woolwich High Street until further notice.

Services will be open from 9am to 5pm.

Get in touch

You can contact us for more information or to arrange an interview.

1st Base housing options

If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness, we can give you help and advice on your housing options. When you contact us we will:

• arrange an interview with a housing options officer to discuss your housing and other needs
• arrange a home visit to find out more about your housing and to look at possible options for you and your family
• refer you to a mediation service and put you in touch with a support worker. A support worker can help with a range of different needs, including help around education, training, employment and benefits. 

We will work with you to improve your housing situation and to make sure you get the support you need. We will expect you to cooperate fully with all of the services that we provide to help you.

If we are unable to prevent you from becoming homeless, we will look at other housing and support options with you. For young people under 18, this will usually include an assessment of whether you are a 'child in need' who should be looked after by the Children’s Services department.

Any accommodation that you are offered through 1st Base or through Children’s Services will be 'supported housing'. This means being placed with a foster carer or supported lodgings householder, or a supported housing scheme for young people.

In an emergency the Council sometimes places young people in temporary accommodation with a support worker, until a supported housing scheme place becomes available.

Please be aware that we will never offer a Council tenancy to a young person 16 to 17 when you first contact us because you are homeless. Young people can join the Council’s housing register at 16 and when you reach 18 you can start to bid for housing through the Greenwich Homes choice-based lettings scheme.

1st Base support

If you are 16 to 21 years old, we can offer you both housing support and help to gain the knowledge and skills to manage on your own. When you contact us, a support worker will carry out an assessment to decide what support you need.

The type of support we offer includes:

• help to manage money, claim benefits, develop budgeting skills
• advice on registering with a doctor, or getting help from other specialist agencies, such as substance misuse and counselling services
• putting you in touch with education, training or work opportunities
• advising about different housing options.

Your allocated worker can meet you in your home or the office, as well as attend appointments with you.

1st Base housing options and support is part of The Point one-stop service for young people in Greenwich. At an options or support service interview we will discuss all of your needs with you, not just housing, and will help you to access other services that are available to help you.