You may feel you need support for a set period before being able to cope with living on your own. This could be because you have had mental health problems, have learning difficulties, have had a history of alcohol or drug abuse or are a young parent, for example.

There are various housing schemes that provide support to specific groups of people, until they are ready to live independently and to maintain a tenancy. The sort of support depends on individual needs and could include:

• advice and assistance with budgeting and dealing with bills

• help developing cooking and cleaning skills

• support to find other specialist help, for instance solicitors or drug and alcohol services.

You will usually need to be referred to these schemes. If you think you might qualify, speak to your Council's Housing Advice Service.