When young people leave home, independent living can be a shock.
When young people are forced to leave home because, at 18, they are now ‘too old’ to stay, it can be a recipe for disaster. In such cases, the transition to independent living may be too hard to handle, and the young person pays a huge personal, social or emotional price.
This Lent, we would like to develop a better option for young men aging out of the Houtberg Childcare Centre (HCC), a residential shelter with which we have partnered for many years in Zimbabwe.
We want to raise £22,000 to build, furnish and equip a transitional home for young men leaving HCC.
There are currently three young men who desperately need this support, who are all 18+, living in temporary accommodation arrangements which are less than ideal.
18-year-old *Lenny has lived at HCC for more than ten years.
His memories of life before HCC are fading, but he remembers the scarcity of food and clothing, and a long trek to fetch water every day.
At HCC he celebrates having three meals a day, clothing, friends, security and a stable place to learn. He loves to play football and HCC has given him opportunities to compete.
Lenny recently completed a vocational training course in carpentry and hopes to make a living with his skills.
Since he had to move out of the boys’ dormitory, he’s been living temporarily in a room on the HCC site with another young man who is too old to stay at HCC. It’s not a sustainable solution for either of them, or for HCC.
Lenny will be one of the first residents in the proposed new independent living home.
18-year-old *Lenny has lived at HCC for more than ten years.The problem
HCC is a residential shelter for young people without a safe family to care for them.
However, to comply with social services’ safeguarding rules, once a young person legally becomes an adult at the age of 18, they are no longer allowed to stay at the Centre.
This is incredibly challenging, for multiple practical, emotional and social reasons. The most recent young man to leave HCC in these circumstances really struggled. His rent alone cost two thirds of his small apprenticeship wage and he found solo living very isolating, compared to living with over 20 children and young people at HCC, and with no other family support.
The solution
We want to build a transitional home on land owned by HCC (pictured), a simple three bedroom house with a latrine, for up to three young men at a time, each staying for two years.
For the first year they would live rent-free, but during the second year they would contribute to rent and other bills. They would have to cook, farm the land, and look after the property, all in preparation for full independence, but they will also be offered training and support in managing independent living, through the oversight of the HCC team.
The team at HCC believe this will provide a structured, supportive transition to independence, helping young people move forward in a planned, secure way.
They came to Houtberg after their mother abandoned them and left them with their alcoholic father, who failed to provide even the most basic necessities, like food, and went missing for long periods, leaving his two young sons home alone. Social workers couldn’t find family members to take them in, but found a place of safety for the boys at HCC.
They’re at school, they love playing football, they both hate to be alone – but at HCC there is always someone there for them. One day, they too will benefit from the new transitional home we want to build this Lent.
*Neham (pictured) and his older brother have lived at HCC for three years.“The boys are often reticent to leave the home at 18, and the shift to adulthood can be overwhelming without adequate support,” explains HCC’s Pastor Henry. “This is a crucial step in ensuring that boys who age out of the childcare system have a safe and structured path to independence, reducing the risks of homelessness, unemployment, and social isolation.
“Through this initiative, we aim to empower these young men with the tools they need to build successful and fulfilling lives.”
Be a part of a stable transition for young men leaving Houtberg
Give below to help us raise £22,000 so that we can build a transitional home for young men like Lenny today, and boys like Neham in the future.
I want to help