16 and 17 year olds

These pages are for young people aged between 16 and 17 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in Northampton.

The information includes:

organisations you can contact for help and support
how we can help

Centrepoint Offers advice to any one in England aged between 16 to 25 who is worried that they may be homeless.

Visit the Centrepoint website: Centrepoint.org.uk

Telephone: Freephone 0808 800 0661 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Coram Voice: Can help to make sure you are listened to and your opinions are taken in to account when you are speaking to organisations like the council about decisions that affect your life.

Coram Voice has a free telephone helpline and can offer face to face meetings and independant advocates.

Visit the Coram Voice website: Coramvoice.org.uk

Telephone: 0800 800 5792 between 9:30am to 6pm on Mondays to Fridays and between 10am to 4pm on Saturdays.

Email: help@coramvoice.org.uk

ASK NORMEN is an interactive website for young people in Northamptonshire who are worried or struggling with their feelings and emotions because of the problems they are dealing with.

Visit the ASK NORMEN website: asknormen.co.uk

Childline will help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue. It is free confidential and available anytime day or night

Visit the Childline website: childline.org.uk
Telephone: 0800 1111
1-2-1- online counsellor chat

The Lowdown is a counselling, mental health, sexual health and LGBTQ support service for young people up to the age of 25 in Northamptonshire

Telephone 01604 622223
Email info@thelowdown.info
Drop in 3 Kingswell Street (off Gold Street) Northampton NN1 1PP

Visit The Lowdown website for more information and opening times: thelowdown.info/contact-us/

HOPELINE Papyrus UK provides support and advice to children, teenagers and young people up to the age of 35 who are having suicidal thoughts, or anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide.

Visit: The HOPELINE Papyrus website: Papyrus-uk.org

Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org

Text 07786209697

Telephone: 0800 068 4141 Monday to Friday 10am to 10pm, weekends and bank holidays 2pm to 10pm

Frank provides honest information about drugs, their effects and the law. Talk to Frank for facts, advice and support on drugs and alcohol

Visit Talk to Frank website talktofrank.com

Email Frank@talktofrank.com

Live chat 2pm to 6pm, 7 days a week

Telephone 0300 123 6600 open 24 hours a day,7 days a week

Benefit Advice on the different types of welfare benefit that are available and how to claim them
Visit the Government website: www.gov.uk

The Benefit Entitlement Guide will help you to find out what benefits you may qualify for
View the guide on The Debt Advice Foundation website: debtadvicefoundation.org

Please contact Children’s Services or Housing Services at the One Stop Shop and we will work together to help you.

In an emergency, out of normal opening hours, please telephone Children's Services on 01604 626 938 or Housing on 0300 330 7003

We will:

ask you to tell us what’s been happening at home, or where you have been staying
listen to your thoughts and feelings about what you want to do
talk about how we can help you, and agree what is in your best interests
help to prevent you from becoming homeless or help you to find somewhere safe to live

We can meet with you to agree:

a joint assessment so that you do not have to keep repeating your story
whether Children’s services or Housing will be the main contact for you
a Personal Housing Plan or Children’s care plan
what we will do and what you need to do

Preventing or relieving your homelessness may include:

talking to your family or other responsible adults so that you can stay there if it is safe
finding you somewhere safe to stay in an emergency or if you can’t go home
offering help with issues like education, money, relationships, mental health or drugs

Helping you to have somewhere settled to live may include:

supporting your family to help you to continue to live together
foster care
supported lodgings
a shared house
in some cases a rented room, bedsit or flat

How to make sure you are heard:

you can ask a professional adult (called an advocate) from Coram Voice to help you when you talk to Children’s Services and Housing Services
Coram Voice will explain everything to you and make sure that you get the right help
you will be asked to co-operate with us and Coram Voice can explain what this means

Contact Coram Voice

Telephone: 0808 800 5792 email: help@coramvoice.org.uk, or visit their website: Coramvoice.org.uk

If you speak to a Housing Adviser before speaking to Childrens Services we will listen to your circumstances and find out what sort of help you are asking for.

We will usually then get in contact with Childrens Services and agree the best way to help you.

Childrens Services can give you advice on how to manage the money you need to live on.

Joining the housing register

Help in an emergency
If you need emergency advice on homelessness out of our normal opening times, please telephone

Northamptonshire’s Children’s Social Care team on 01604 626 938

or

Our out of hours service on 0300 330 7000

Immediate danger
If you are in immediate danger then telephone 999 and speak to the Emergency Services

If you are sleeping rough in Northampton, or at risk of sleeping rough in Northampton then help, advice, and shelter is available.

We can work with you to keep you off the streets. We can offer:

someone to talk to from our street outreach team
help for you to stay with friends or family
emergency night shelter,
money advice and benefit advice
support with debt, drug and alcohol addiction, gambling, mental health issues, etc.

We may also be able to help you to get back on track with supported housing, employment and training and somewhere settled to live.

Please contact our Single Homelessness Adviser at the One Stop Shop Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm or telephone 01604 837 716.

In an emergency please contact the out of hours service on 0300 330 7000

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