Opening our home and providing Supported Lodgings has been massively rewarding

Christina Mathers, age 43 and living in Weymouth, is a Supported Lodgings provider with her husband Dan and her three children. She has provided Supported Lodgings for six years and during that time she's opened her home to two young people. 

We asked Christina about her Supported Lodgings journey – the rewarding positives and the challenges – and we asked her what she’d say to someone who is considering opening their family home to a young person leaving Local Authority care.  

What made you decide to offer Supported Lodgings?  
We originally looked into and applied to foster. We were then approached by the Supported Lodgings team as they thought we’d be a good fit. We’ve now been doing it for six years and it works really well for our family.  

What has been a positive experience for you?  
The relationships we have formed with the young people living with us have been really positive. The first young person who lived with us is now 23, has their own home, and is doing well in life, but we are still the people she calls when she needs someone to talk to. We will always be there for her. Watching her thrive in her own home, working to support herself and with the goal of being a nurse on the horizon, is wonderful to see. 

Seeing a young person learn a new skill or overcome something they previously struggled with is hugely rewarding. You just want them to see them do well in life, whether that’s achieving a new job, doing well at college or eventually when they move into their own home. The pride you get from seeing them turn their lives around is immense.  

How have your children found the experience? 
Our children have been involved in the decision from the start, and we continue to check that it’s something they’re happy with. We include them in the matching process, and we will always make sure they meet the young person and are happy, before any commitment is made. Our children have a sibling relationship with the young people who’ve lived with us and our daughter has really loved having a big sister. They go to the cinema together and they get on well. But at times, they also argue like siblings too.  

What has been most challenging?  
Opening your home to someone new takes you out of your comfort zone which can be hard. You can’t always be as direct as you would be with your own children, so you need to be open to different ways of parenting. The young person living with you will have had their own individual experiences and the parenting they have experienced might be quite different to how you would parent, so it’s important to be open-minded. 

What skills or personality traits do you feel are useful for someone to have when they go into providing Supported Lodgings? 
You need empathy for the young person and the family they have come from. It’s important to validate the young person’s experience, whilst remaining impartial and non-judgemental. At times, you will need to have difficult conversations, and you will need to be adaptable. No two children are the same.   

What would you say to someone considering becoming Supported Lodgings provider? 
It isn't always easy, but it's massively rewarding, and it can be such a lovely thing. If you are doing this as a family then you need to make sure you have a strong family base to start with and that you are matched with a young person who is right for your family. The young person really does become a part of your family, and for us we wanted to do this completely – from including them on family holidays, to inviting them to join in with all our family celebrations and occasions. 

Could you help a young person leaving care and open your home? 

If you have a spare room and want to make a real difference to a young person leaving care, then Supported Lodgings is a great option. Many of our young people, aged between 16-25, are ready to take the next steps towards independence but are not quite ready to live alone and need the safety net of a room to go back to and someone to offer advice.  

We are looking for more people in Dorset to open their homes to young people aged 16-25. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and walks of life and will support you every step of the way. 

As a Supported Lodgings provider, you will receive: 

• a weekly payment ranging from £130 per week 

• rent and contribution towards utilities from the young person 

• training and extensive support 

• an allocated Support Worker 

If you would like to know more, please contact Fostering Enquiries on 01305 221482 or visit our website.