Mate needs foyer-type place to live

[Monkeynuts]

I've a mate moving to London to work as a chef, and he will need somewhere to live.

I'm not sure how he would get on in a flatshare (either finding one or living there) as (although a nice bloke) he's a bit of a wildcard (Ramsey / Aikens MkII in training basically), so I hesitate to point him in the direction of the flatmates thread, Gumtree etc. Clearly the pay won't stretch to his own place.

Does anyone know of any foyer-type accommodation that is available? A bit like a student hall - own room with shared kitchens or something? Perhaps he'd be better off actually enrolling on some random course and going into student accommodation...

I don't suppose housing associations etc will be able to help

[AnnO'Neemus]

London's a big place. And if his pay won't stretch to better accommodation, maybe it won't stretch to a massive commute either, so it might be better to be a bit more specific about the general area he'll be working in.

[AnnO'Neemus]

Here's a link to Foyer's in London:

http://www.foyer.net/mpn/topic.php?query=&topic=61

Google is your friend.

[Monkeynuts]

London's a big place. And if his pay won't stretch to better accommodation, maybe it won't stretch to a massive commute either, so it might be better to be a bit more specific about the general area he'll be working in.

Knightsbridge

Cheers for the link, but those actual 'foyers' seem to be more along the lines of those with certain specific needs, rather than just independent low-cost living for those who might not suit flatsharing. I was hoping there might be something along the lines of what you find in France - sort of hall of residence style

Perhaps a studio is the answer

[AnnO'Neemus]

...I was hoping there might be something along the lines of what you find in France - sort of hall of residence style...
Question
How and when did Foyers originate?

Answer
Foyers originated in France after the Second World War, when large numbers of rural workers were coming into the cities and towns to rebuild them after the destruction wrought by the war. They evolved into projects for young workers, with a population also including students and unemployed young people. The idea was brought to the UK in the early 1990s by Grand Metropolitan and Shelter, with more of a focus on disadvantage and homelessness, but maintaining the original French concepts of the balanced community and "brassage" as far as possible.

http://www.foyer.net/mpn/faq.php?myfaq=1&id_cat=1&categories=History

This is what you were asking for, n'est ce pas?

[beeboo]

I've never come across this foyer thing, but wouldn't a bedsit be kind of similar - you're just sharing the kitchen and bathroom but living independantly in your own room? (although from my experience you can still have plenty of friction just sharing a kitchen).

How about the YMCA?

[Monkeynuts]

YMCA is surprisingly expensive:

e.g. Barbican:

Long Stay
Single £172.55 per week for first 4 weeks, £151.97 per week thereafter

I guess a bedsit or studio would work but in the price bracket you have images of something really grim

[rutabowa]

A bit like a student hall - own room with shared kitchens or something?
lots of shared houses are actually bit like this, they seem to go rfrom around £60/week for a single room (this is in the cheapest areas). Studio flats (bedsits), cheapest about £120/week.

[beeboo]

One of the benefits of the YMCA or something would be the central locations - if he's training as a chef I guess we're talking anti-social hours so being close to where you work would be a big bonus.

Studio flats are expensive (and so you do end up in the arse-end of nowhere in somewhere scuzzy) but bedsits are often cheaper than flatshares - basically they're the same thing only no communal living room, which means as often as not a room which could have been a living room has been turned over for a bedroom, so sharing the rent out between more people.

My bedsit experience was a bit grim - because no-one knew each other save for occasionally meeting in the kitchen, no-one really looked out for one another or cared about the communal spaces. At one point there was a 'washing up standoff' in which no washing up whatsoever was done for about 3 weeks and all the dirty pots ended up stacked around on the floor.

But if he wants cheap, and doesn't want social, then it's a good bet.

[Sunray]

YMCA is surprisingly expensive:

e.g. Barbican:

Long Stay
Single £172.55 per week for first 4 weeks, £151.97 per week thereafter

I guess a bedsit or studio would work but in the price bracket you have images of something really grim

I think that that includes food and bills, so isn't that bad.