The National House Project (NHP) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), established in August 2018. It provides the knowledge, resources and support to establish and maintain Local House Projects (LHPs) and believes that joining a LHP should be an option for all young people leaving care.
How we started
The first Local House Project (LHP) was established in Stoke-on-Trent as part of Phase One of the DfE Social Care Innovation Programme. Phase Two saw the development of a further five projects and the creation of an evidence base, resources and financial modelling. NHP was established to provide the vehicle to support existing LHPs and establish new LHPs and increase the reach to young people across the UK post March 2020.
I’d compare the House Project to a tree; we’ve planted it and we’re growing up. We’re all together and we’re all going up.
YP Stoke House Project
Continuing to grow
We take a relational approach to working with local authorities and partner agencies and we see the benefits of developing these arrangements on a regional basis.
In the West Midlands seven of the 14 local authorities now have a LHP and we are growing in the South with LHPs in six local authorities.
In the North we are working with eight local authorities including collaborative arrangements with seven of the 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester.
In Scotland we worked with Life Changes Trust to develop the first three LHPs and with a positive evaluation by STAF and clear links to the Promise, we are keen to scale further.
This approach has enabled our House Project Community to continue to grow from 10 young people in the first LHP. By broadening the offer within existing LHPs, and expanding the number of LHPs, we have ambitions to increase the numbers of young people in the House Project community.
We are in the process of securing agreements with a number of local authorities to establish new LHPs across the UK.
See if we have a Local House Project near you.
Realising Success
Young people have been successfully transitioning into permanent tenancies since 2017 giving them the secure base that we all need when starting to make our way in the world. Strong and supportive relationships within their LHP community provides an informal source of support that lasts as long as it needs to.
Young people are supported by staff and other young people, and many describe having made friends for life. The approach provides young people with the confidence to get jobs and stay in college. So far over 500 young people have moved into their own home and there have been no evictions or tenancy breakdowns.
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Meet the Team
Meet the team at the NHP and find out more about the consultants and trustees who guide, assist and support.
Meet the Team
As a Charity we are ambitious to:
- drive excellence in what we do
- establish a project in every Local Authority and create a safe and supportive House Project community
- use the learning to improve wider leaving care services
- develop an expert care experienced user voice to change the narrative about care leavers, make decisions about their lives and their projects and improve wider service provision.
At NHP we are committed to doing the right thing and believe that with the right support young people can succeed. Please read about our Values and Behaviours to find out what is important to us at an individual and organisational level and how these values are acted out in our work.
FIND OUT MORE
The ORCHIDS Framework
The ORCHIDS framework defines the House Project and makes it different to other accommodation options.
The House Project Programme
Young people enjoy a range of opportunities to build relationships, manage their home and further their career.
Care Leavers National Movement
CLNM is made up of representatives from Local House Projects across the country. They are the heart of NHP.