FOR young people living in care, many of whom won’t necessarily have had the best start in life already, there are probably choppy waters ahead. They need to be negotiated when the teenager has to leave the relative security of the care system and cope on their own.

Moving into lodgings is a difficult enough time for a young person, as thousands of new uni students discover every year. But take away the support of a loving family and things can go badly wrong.

Fortunately, there’s a guardian angel, or more correctly a saint, standing by. He may have lived nearly two thousand years ago, but from whatever lofty perch he occupies in Heaven today, Basil of Caesarea can look down and take comfort that the principles and teachings he lived by in old Cappadocia are alive and well in Worcestershire in 2012.

Better known as Saint Basil the Great, the man from what is modern-day Turkey was a great theologian who was born in 330AD and became renowned for his care of the poor and underprivileged.

Flash forward a couple of centuries-ish and the organisation that carries his name is a youth homeless charity working in an area which could well be off many folk’s radar.

For while the problems of young people who find themselves taken into care are well documented, as are the difficulties of adults living on the streets, there is an important period in between. A tipping point if you like, where things can go one way or other.

It occurs when young people who have been living in care have to leave the system and survive on their own.

That’s where St Basils, the charity, steps in. Earlier this year it signed a contract with Worcestershire County Council to provide a supported lodgings scheme across Worcestershire.

The idea is to recruit members of the local community to help young care leavers learn the skills to be independent by lodging in their homes. In other words, take in a lodger who has previously been in care and help them find their feet in the big, wide world.

Ellie Jones, the charity’s marketing and communications officer, said: “The scheme has received a lot of interest, but more applications are needed from the community to help the number of local young people in need of support.

“We aim to provide a stepping stone for young care leavers generally aged 16 to 18 but the service is offered up to the age of 21. We recruit ‘hosts’ from all walks of life who have a spare room and want to make a difference to vulnerable young people by providing accommodation and support within their home for an agreed amount of time.

“Due to leaving care or other issues, these young people don’t yet have the necessary knowledge and skills to live on their own successfully.

“The scheme aims to recruit hosts who can provide encouragement and guidance to enable them to develop the practical skills and confidence needed to make the leap to independent living. This means they can move on in a planned way, thus helping to prevent ‘crisis’ situations or homelessness.”

In return for their part in the St Basils scheme, hosts receive a weekly financial contribution and a support package which includes training and social activities.

Currently, the charity has 27 residential projects across the West Midlands, three of which are in Worcestershire – in Kidderminster, Bromsgrove and Redditch.

In addition, it has more than 400 flats or bedsits across Birmingham and north Worcestershire to meet various needs, from emergency and fully supported accommodation to semi-independent accommodation.

More than 4,000 young people a year access its support services.

So what sort of people are St Basils looking for? Julie Thomas, of Kidderminster, has already applied for the scheme. She said: “I’ve been in care work for 20 years and was considering fostering. My girls have grown up now and moved out and I miss having a busy household. This is a good way to help young people who are not like children, entirely dependent, but still need some help.

“It’s a good way of doing something I enjoy because I know from my work that you get such a buzz when you see that person develop and move on, get their own place, get a job. The reward you get, that it’s you who has helped them move on with their lives, that’s an amazing feeling.”

One young person who has been on the scheme is Tracy Smith, from the West Midlands, and she was full of enthusiasm. Her host was a lady called Dawn.

Tracy said: “Dawn’s a lovely person. Where I used to live I just stayed in my room all day but Dawn’s encouraged me to find out who from college lives around here so I have people to hang out with.

“I’ve learnt things here like dividing up washing and how to eat healthier. I would recommend the scheme to other young people because it’s nice to have some company and you can learn about things other people wouldn’t think to tell you.”

Wherever he is, St Basil would be proud of his legacy.

􀁥 St Basils is now recruiting hosts from across Worcestershire. To find out more, call Shelley Stanley, Worcestershire Home2Home coordinator, on 07867 354699 or e-mail home2homenw@stbasils.org.uk.