Every year in Plymouth, there is a new wave of brave young people leaving care, with many unable afford a deposit on their first rental property.
Often, care leavers don’t have a rent guarantor and they struggle to access private rented accommodation because landlords are unwilling to accommodate them. I want to change that.
That’s why today in Parliament, I asked the new Work and Pensions Secretary to meet me and children’s charity Barnardo’s to discuss how we can start a pilot rent deposit scheme to give care leavers the best possible chance to making their own way in the world with a home of their own.
He agreed to a meeting. So watch this space!
My campaign with Barnardo’s comes after I hosted an event for Plymouth care leavers in Parliament in September. The group of young people travelled to Parliament to encourage MPs to think more about the needs of care-experienced young people, and I’m so proud of them for sharing their stories and telling us about the challenges they face as care leavers.