It is both an exciting and daunting task to move into your first home and imagine many of us can remember the day we first encountered independent living , perhaps our parents telling us "it will look alright with a lick of paint".
You may recall times parents and extended family have offered furniture and curtains , imparting DIY expertise to get the home up and running - however , what if that support network isnt in place ?
With many of the Care Experienced Young People (CEYP) we work with at Leicestershire Cares they are , more often than not , moving onto independent living alone - the house you get is the house you get.
We are fortunate to have formed a partnership with Wates Construction "Caring for Care Leavers" project which involves Wates staff supporting Care Leavers with their sometimes-difficult journey of transferring to independent living. The support ranges from transporting and fitting of white goods, painting and decorating through to fitting new doors or laying new carpets. The package is bespoken to each care leavers requirements and needs and once selected the process of implementing works is set in motion.
Over a two-day period, the kitchen was completely repainted from top to bottom with the domineering purple paint left by a former owner softened with white and sage throughout. The cupboards were rehung and the overhead light (which had been broken for months) fixed. The hall, stairs and landing were repainted with the same sage and white tones and the banister, and all skirting boards glossed.
A new bath panel was fitted, replacing the old rotting wooden board and finally the spare bedroom was brought back to neutral white after some garish pinks and yellow walls were discovered under 5 layers of wallpaper!
The transformation not only created a light and homely "clean slate" for our young person, over the two days her confidence and social skills improved to the extent she felt comfortable working alongside the volunteers and in turn began to learn new DIY skills such as painting and wallpaper stripping which she can utilise in other parts of the house.
I am very pleased with the work that was carried out . Before the work was done the house was very dark and dull and filled with lots of different dark colours that made feel very gloomy all the time.
Rebecca
After the work was done it's made me feel so happy and encouraged me to make it my dream home. It's so much brighter and its just lovely. I can't thank Dale and his team enough for the work that was carried out its amazing and they were all so lovely.
I'm house me
A copy of the Wates Case study can be found below
For more information about supporting CEYP contact Amy Cook, Head of Children and Young People