Energy supplier E.ON has stepped in to provide support and supplies for young people who are supported by Coventry’s House Project to live independently.
The Project supports young people to leave care, as they build confidence and gain independence, whilst living in their own home.
The young people leave care between the ages of 16 and 18, without any family support, and the Council works with Citizen Housing and local companies and organisations to fill that gap.
The care leavers are helped with day-to-day skills such as cooking, money and bills, personal safety and finding out how to shop smartly.
Now E.ON has added its support.
Representatives from the company recently attended group sessions with the young people and gave them advice on being energy-aware, how to save money on gas and electricity bills, and make a home more energy efficient.
E.ON has also donated 36 ‘welcome boxes’ containing household essentials such as black bin sacks and cleaning products. True to the company’s work to protect the environment, the supplies even come in a specially designed recyclable box that can be re-used for storing documents.
Cllr Patricia Seaman, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Coventry City Council, said: “The House Project aims to teach care leavers vital skills they will need in their adult lives, and it needs the support of a range of companies and organisations to do that.
“We are delighted that E.ON volunteered to offer advice on not only saving money on power bills, but also helping to protect the environment, and the kind offer of welcome boxes has really been appreciated by all the young people.
“It is a great example of how we can all work together to make a difference and we are very grateful to E.ON.”
The Coventry-based company has a range of projects to help the local communities it works in, including a charity partnership with Mind and activity packs for young children.
It is also dedicated to helping support the UK in its target of achieving zero net carbon emissions by 2050.
Abbie Wesson, from the City Energy Transformation Team at E.ON, said: “We started supporting the Coventry Care Leavers programme last year and we’ve seen first-hand the vital work it does in getting young people their independence and a solid start on building their own lives.
"As a Coventry-based company and, more importantly, energy experts, it’s a great fit to help young people to manage their energy consumption, save money and help the environment.”
The work of the Coventry House Project was recently highlighted on the Channel 4 TV series ‘Kids’.