The AP Foundation CIO works harmoniously alongside AP Housing Association CIC and other social housing providers

The most common factor among young adults who reoffend after leaving prison is homelessness or unstable accommodation, as over 50% of released prisoners are unable to return to their previous homeshome.

Finding a home and a job are not the only difficulties faced by young adults leaving prison, all too often they face a cliff edge in support once they reach the prison gate. With a discharge grant of £76, a travel warrant or fares to their initial destination and being unable to access universal credit for the first five weeks, they often have to deal with:

• Insufficient money to meet basic needs
• Large debts that may have built up during their sentence
• Temptations for alcohol & substance misuse
• Inadequate temporary accommodation or homelessness
• Lack of confidence and low self-esteemself esteem
• Peer Pressure
• Little or no resettlement support

Our support team will be there to help stop them from slipping through the net. We help our students navigate their way through the first few months of their release by offering practical advice and guidance on:

• Welfare Benefits
• Housing advice
• Money Management
• Debt Problems
• Bank Accounts
• DBS Checks

And for vulnerable and disadvantaged returning citizens we can offer them a safe place to live in an AP Housing Association property. A fully serviced and supported household, accommodating up to 4 returning citizens, where they can stay for a maximum of three months while we get them back on their feet and into independent housing.

All participants of the 5-step pathway will also become members of the AP Foundation’s ALUMNI Network, designed to help them overcome the challenges of life on the outside. As members, they can join the APF Alumni Network social media platform where they can keep up to date with job opportunities, stay in touch with fellow members, share their experiences and find practical advice and encouragement from fellow ex-offenders, as well as attend talks, presentations and skills workshops, or they can simply drop into one of our regular monthly social events.

For many young people, the transition to independent living is not only a difficult journey but the resources are also limited to enable this. We work with vulnerable young people, young offenders and care leavers from local authority care and support.

Our service offers bridging as well as long-term accommodation in order to meet a variety of housing support needs. All our tenants are supported by fully trained key workers during their stay.

In addition, all properties and their contents are insured and maintained by the agencies involved. Accommodation standards are regulated and maintained in accordance with compliance and statutory regulations.

Our mission is to be a force for positive change to enable better outcomes for vulnerable young people, care leavers and young offenders and support local authorities and other civil services in their commitment and mission to providing a good standard of care to service users who they support.