Supporting young people

This Supported Housing Week, we're celebrating the role supported housing plays in helping young people develop the skills, confidence and stability they need to live independently and achieve their potential.

Across Nottinghamshire, NCHA provides accommodation and support for vulnerable young people aged 16 to 21, many of whom are care experienced, homeless or at risk of homelessness. Through our Branching Out services, we help young people build the foundations for a positive and independent future.

Providing more than a home

For many young people, having a safe place to live is just the beginning.

Our Branching Out services provide accommodation alongside tailored support designed around each individual's needs and aspirations. Every resident has a named support worker, with access to on-site staff and 24-hour support through our Customer Wellbeing team.

We work with young people to develop practical life skills, including managing money, maintaining a tenancy and accessing services and benefits. We also support them into education, employment and training opportunities, helping them take important next steps towards independence.

Accommodation is available across Newark, Ollerton, Retford and South Nottinghamshire, with a range of fully furnished bedsits and self-contained homes designed to provide a safe and supportive environment.

Delivering supported housing that works

Effective supported housing is about much more than buildings. It is about creating connections and pathways that help young people move successfully into adulthood.

When supported accommodation is commissioned as part of a wider pathway, it provides the ingredients young people need to thrive: high-quality homes, trusted relationships, appropriate support, strong links with children's services and children's homes, preparation for independence and planned move-on into longer-term housing. It also gives young people a safe, trusted place and a team of people to turn to while receiving the service and after they have moved on.

This approach helps ensure that young people are not only supported when they need accommodation, but are equipped with the skills and confidence to build successful futures.

Investing in young people and their futures

Alongside delivering support today, we're investing in the next generation of young people's services across Nottinghamshire.

Working closely with colleagues in our development team and architects at Pelham, we are delivering a programme of improvements designed to modernise and expand supported housing provision across the county.

In Newark, work is nearing completion on a new facility, replacing older accommodation in the town centre. Young people who will move into the scheme have already been involved in discussions about the design and decoration of their new homes, helping create a space that reflects their needs and aspirations.

Meanwhile, construction has recently begun on new accommodation in, Nottingham, where an expansion of existing provision will provide 22 one-bedroom supported living apartments for young people. Expected to complete in late 2027, the development will help young people build the skills and confidence needed to live independently while accessing the support they need to succeed.

The scheme has also received support through the East Midlands Combined County Authority's Brownfield Housing Fund, helping bring a previously developed site back into productive use while increasing the availability of supported accommodation for young people.

These developments represent more than an investment in buildings. They are an investment in young people, their opportunities and their futures.

The impact of supported housing

Every day, supported housing gives young people a safe and stable place to stay, alongside trusted relationships with a support team that helps them overcome significant challenges and take positive steps towards independent living.

Through these relationships, teams provide practical support, create connections with wider services and community networks, and open up opportunities to learn new skills. This helps young people remain engaged in education, access employment, improve their wellbeing and develop the confidence needed to manage their own tenancies in the future.

Behind every successful move-on is a young person who has had a safe foundation, trusted people to turn to and connections that continue to make a difference as they build an independent future.