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Background & Development 

My Space My Place Report

The 'My Space My Place' Tenancy Sustainment Resource evolved from a need identified at a Tenancy Consultation Event held in Dundee 2004.  A ‘My Space My Place’ report was produced from the consultation event and shares thoughts, ideas, personal experiences and words of wisdom from around 70 different young people.

The report gives a full account of the issues raised by young people, workers and facilitators who were involved and a glimpse of the methods of tenancy sustainment adopted by some of the projects who were represented at the events.

Homelessness in Scotland

To be without a home is to be without a safe and secure base. It is to be without a place you can return to for refuge. Lacking a home can make everything else in your life much more difficult to handle, both practically and emotionally.

The Figures

In 2003-2004, almost 55,000 families and individuals in Scotland applied to their councils for help because they were homeless. That’s over 85,000 people, including more than 26,000 children under the age of 18. About 70% of those applying are assessed as homeless under the legal definition, so some 65,000 people meet the government’s definition of homeless—enough to fill Hampden Park or Murrayfield. That’s around 1 in 75 of the Scottish population. Around 1 in 3 of homeless applications come from people who are under 25.

Sustaining Tenancies

A lack of good quality and affordable housing is a major part of the problem in Scotland. But for many young people getting a place to stay is just the start of a new set of challenges. There are so many new things to learn: cooking and cleaning, paying the bills, managing the door, getting on with neighbours, and generally keeping their heads together.

Unfortunately very many young people lack the skills to keep their tenancy going. The bills gets out of hand, they struggle with feeling lonely in their place, there can be disputes with neighbours, and so on. For these and other reasons very many tenancies just don’t work out. But this doesn’t have to be the case.

A Helping Hand...

My Space, My Place is a tool for preventing housing crisis and homelessness and for ensuring that Scotland’s young people, and especially those who leave home early and/or lack strong family support, get the best possible start in their own place.

Topics covered include: setting up your place, tenants rights, managing money, healthy eating, emotional well-being, feeling safe in your home, education + training + employment, etc.  

..from a proven source

Scottish Council for Single Homeless has a unique track record of producing high quality resources for young people. It won a UK National Housing Award for its schools toolkit I’m Offski! Its innovative leaving home guide,  Streets Ahead, has sold in excess of 30,000 copies since its launch in 2002 and is still selling well across Scotland.

Through research and consultation with young people and housing providers, the Scottish Council for Single Homeless has recognised the need for a resource to help with tenancy sustainment. The result is My Space, My Place.

My Space, My Place is an invaluable tool that will be extensively used by housing providers, in particular housing associations and local councils. A number of councils are already committed to using the resource with young people in their area. Due to be launched in November 2005, it will make a real difference to many young people’s lives.

Contact: The Youth Team (contact us)

Published: November 2005 (YP Guide) and May 2006 (Workers Toolkit)

Award Winning Resource

My Space My Place – SCSH’s innovative guide for young tenants – won a prestigious UK Housing Award for Outstanding achievement in social housing in Scotland in November 2006.