Four council homes a year are to be set aside for residents moving on from Brentwood Foyer, which houses homeless young people.

The Foyer, in Chindits Lane, Warley, currently has around 40 residents aged from 16 to 25. Each has to show that they want to move on with their life and take part in training aimed at developing the skills needed to live independently and become a good citizen.

Members of Brentwood Borough Council's community panel agreed to a request for help in providing accommodation for people leaving the Foyer.

A report to members said: "One of the key stumbling blocks to providing this service for young people in the Foyer is the lack of suitable move-on accommodation.

"Foyer residents who have developed living skills during their stay at the Foyer and acquired the ability to manage a tenancy find themselves disadvantaged again if they have nowhere independent to live."

The Blackwater Housing Association currently has 19 properties for former Foyer residents in the Brentwood area, including nine together in Sawyers Grove.

The residents can stay as long as they do not breach their tenancy agreement and, because there is a shortage of affordable housing for young people in the borough, are unlikely to leave voluntarily.

The council report noted concerns that house prices and the cost of private rented accommodation in the borough may be forcing young people out of the area.

Cllr Vicky Cook welcomed the plan to set aside four bedsits or one-bedroom flats a year, and said the young people who live independently after leaving the Foyer are 'success stories'.

Published Tuesday July 27, 2004

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