Help with housing costs

We can help you with the costs of having your own home, like:

• helping with your rent
• helping you to avoid paying Council Tax until you’re 21
• helping you to gradually pay Council Tax after you’re 21, so you get used to paying it
• helping you access a hardship fund if you’re in difficulties

We can also give you one-off payments, based on a needs’ assessment. This includes:

• paying deposits and rent in advance if you start a new private rented tenancy
• paying admin fees for a new tenancy
• paying removal costs

These schemes can help with your housing-related costs.

Council Tax Support is means-tested. That means we’ll look at your income and personal circumstances to decide if you can get support, and how much. We do this by reducing the amount of Council Tax you must pay to nil. We then gradually increase it again, so you learn to manage your money.

Your leaving care coach can help you with applying.

If you live outside Waltham Forest, your leaving care coach will help you to apply in your new borough.

If neither of these two options is relevant to you, our leaving care service can pay your council tax there for you.

Discretionary Council Tax Support

This is where we reduce your Council Tax bill by more than the Council Tax Support. You’ll automatically get this extra help for as long as we have parental responsibility for you. The amount of support you receive will reduce as you become more independent

If you receive Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, you can get a DHP to help you pay your rent. DHPs can help you meet the following expenses:

• the difference between the help you get towards your rent and the amount you must pay
• deposits and rent payments you must make in advance when moving into a new property
• administration fees charged by letting agencies when you sign a new tenancy agreement
• removal costs
• very rarely, rent arrears, if a landlord is trying to evict you

When you move into a new place, you’ll want to buy some things to make it feel like your own home. You can get a Leaving Care Grant of up to £2,000 to spend on household items. Your leaving care coach will help you decide what you need to buy, and when.  

You may be able to get help from Local Welfare Assistance. You can also talk to your leaving care coach.