At Bedspace, we are incredibly proud to support vulnerable people on their path to independence. We remain dedicated to providing our young people with safe, secure, high-quality accommodation and giving them the life skills that they need to thrive through our uniquely tailored pathway of services. This involves working closely with landlords and letting agents to ensure that those who use our services continue to feel safe and valued.

 

While providing suitable accommodation to people in need is at the core of what we do, our support does not stop there; we go above and beyond to ensure that our service users also gain valuable life skills that they’re able to take forward with them in future. This includes everything from cooking to budgeting and supporting them with entering education and finding work. 

 

We recently caught up with Lee – a young person who previously progressed through Bedspace’s pathway of services, and has since sustained the same tenancy for over 10 years – to find out more about where he is in life and how our support has helped him get there.

 

Lee first joined Bedspace for support and accommodation in 2011 at the age of 16. Between 2011 and 2013, our dedicated team supported him to develop key life skills including budgeting, cleaning and food shopping. Thanks to our support workers, Lee was able to develop the confidence he needed to successfully move on from our support and has been living independently since 2013.

 

“If I hadn’t have come to Bedspace and sought their support, I wouldn’t have my own place now. It’s very rare these days for people to rent the same property for 10 years, so to have been able to do that is a huge achievement for me. 

 

It shows the journey I’ve been on to achieve independence and demonstrates how, thanks to Bedspace, I’ve been able to learn what it takes to be a good tenant – which involves being respectful, keeping the flat clean, paying rent on time and having a good relationship with both my landlord and neighbours,” said Lee.

 

Lee also told us that thanks to our support, he now has the confidence and ability to live a balanced lifestyle, and enjoys running and fitness. He’s also been able to secure work which has allowed him to independently pay for a gym membership. 

 

Lee now attends college once a week, and is working with us towards securing employment in a role he is passionate about. 

 

When talking about the past and looking ahead to the future, Lee spoke about what his advice would be for someone who is receiving support through our services. 

 

“I’d encourage anyone that is going to come through the Bedspace service pathway to remember that it’s so important to take the advice you are given. It’s difficult when you are young and in a vulnerable position, it’s easy to think that there are different things to prioritise, but it’s important to listen to the team and acknowledge that they want to support you. They’re there to work with you, not against you.”

 

Dave Moreno (Lee's Support Worker in 2011-13 and now Team Leader), Lee, and Wade Reid (our current Team Manager for Group Living).

Dave and Wade still keep in communication with Lee!