Making it Work

Recent government legislation requires local authorities to provide secure accommodation for unintentionally homeless 16- and 17-year-olds. Many local authority housing departments are therefore facing the challenge of how to adequately support this group of young people for the first time.

Making it work outlines the debates and developments leading up to the recent policy changes; reports on the first research into the factors affecting the success of young people's tenancies; examines the varied experiences of young people housed by local authorities; provides a framework for objectively evaluating the success of such tenancies and highlights good practice for supporting young people in independent housing. Making it work is essential reading for professionals in local authority housing departments and nominated RSLs, as well as for students on professional housing courses and academics interested in housing policies, responses to homelessness and issues for young people.

Jamie Harding is a Senior Lecturer in Housing at the School of the Built Environment, Northumbria University, UK.