About our project

Our first group started on January 2023 with a group of 12 young people. So far, some of our young people have moved into their own homes all over the county, with a few more moving very soon!

We have a new cohort roughly every 6 months. If you're interested, let your social worker or a trusted adult know.

We are currently recording our first podcast called We Move - all about our project with special guests including our incredible young people.

How will it help our young people?

We are really excited to support young people into their own homes and continue to have relationships and offer a home away from home. Young people will know that we will always have the kettle ready if they want to come and say hello after they have moved on.

The House Project enables young people to develop a community of support, it provides them with a good home to live in and gives them control over their life, and their future.

The House Project supports young people to gain skills and have experiences that develop their Ownership, Responsibility, Community, a Home, Interdependence, Direction, and a Sense of well-being (or ORCHIDS for short).

How will it fit with pathways for young people leaving care?

The House project is for West Sussex children we care for who are or will be between 16-17 and 2 months when group sessions begin. Young people can be on care orders or under Section 20 arrangements.

Our best hopes are that all young people leaving care would be able to do this through the House Project.

what we need from young people who want to join:

You need to want to be part of the House Project and understand that it is a fantastic opportunity and takes commitment from them to get the best out of it. You need to be willing to work with project staff to take ownership over their future.

You need to be able to live independently within West Sussex as part of their pathway plan before the age of 18.

You need to be able to travel to group sessions in Crawley independently or with support of their placement on a weekly basis.