Tenancy Sustainment Service
YMCA Derbyshire runs a Tenancy Sustainment Service that assists people aged 16 to 24 who need support to continue living independently in their own homes (including young parents). The service supports young people in Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire, Bolsover, Amber Valley and Erewash.
Referral process
Please click on the image to the right to download a chart indicating the Tenancy Sustainment Service referral process.
If you have any queries about the process or how to make a referral, please contact us on
01246 564920 or email us at tss@ymcaderbyshire.org.uk
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Referral form
Please click on the image to the right to download the Tenancy Sustainment Service referral form. Referrals to the Service can be made by an agency or directly by the applicant.
The form can be returned by email or post to the relevant YMCA Derbyshire office – in Chesterfield (for Chesterfield, NE Derbyshire and Bolsover) or Ilkeston (for Amber Valley or Erewash).
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A service user's story
“I was living at home until I finished school, but then my relationship with my mum and step-dad broke down and I ended up living in a bed & breakfast and then two different hostels in Sheffield. I started a college course but was getting into a lot of trouble. Finally, a year and a half ago, I was given the chance of living in my own council flat in Clay Cross, so that I could become independent.
“Living in the flat gave me freedom, and a home to call my own. However, I’ve always been nervous of speaking to officials, and the YMCA has really helped me. My support worker gives me the support I need, and with her help I’ve become more mature and motivated to make a success of this opportunity I’ve been given. She’s always there when I need a hand.
“There is a lot of paperwork to deal with as a tenant, and bills to pay, but the YMCA has made it all okay. Three months after moving in, I was finding it really difficult and would have moved back into the hostel given the chance, but now I feel much more comfortable and going back would just be unthinkable. I now have a girlfriend, two dogs, a ferret and some fish. I am learning how to be responsible. I’m also getting on with my family again.
“Without the support I’ve received from the YMCA, I would probably have ended up in prison. As it is, I’m looking to the future and making plans to move to a new place with a bigger garden where I can start afresh.”
A support worker's perspective
Tracy Hadley, a team member in YMCA Derbyshire's Chesterfield office, can empathise with those she supports. “I had a very tough upbringing myself,” she says, “and have first-hand experience of how destructive that can be.
“I know all too well that a bad start in life often leads to a spiral of drug-taking and homelessness in adulthood, and what motivates me in my job is to do what I can to help others avoid this trap.
“I find it very difficult to see people struggling in their own homes with so few of the comforts I take for granted. Many of our service users have to contend with dreadful situations, but we are there to give them hope. I understand their experiences and really value the opportunity I have to walk alongside them on their journey towards independence.”
