Housing with care for people with learning disabilities or mental health conditions who want to live independently, but need some extra care and support.

Housing with care

Supported living can help people with learning disabilities or mental health conditions to live independently in the community.

It’s a combination of suitable housing with care and support.

Some homes are shared, usually as a small group of people who have their own bedrooms. You can also live in your own home.

Care and support plans

Nobody is left to manage by themselves. There’s a range of support available to ensure you get care and support when you need it.

Each person living in supported living will have their own individual care plan. You will work together with your social worker to agree on what help you need to live independently, do the things you enjoy, and stay healthy and happy.

You may need help with:

• cooking and shopping
• socialising with friends
• making repairs around the home
• managing money and benefits
• keeping your home clean and tidy
• going to work or college

They can also help with personal care and administrative tasks.

A supported living service will provide you with a personal support plan, mapping out the type of support needed in different areas of your life to achieve personal goals.

Goals might include:

• Maintaining your home
• Managing personal finances
• Developing domestic and life skills
• Accessing employment, training or volunteering opportunities
• Developing and maintaining personal relationships
• Keeping in touch with family.

Who can live there?

Supported living is available for people over 18 years old with an assessed need such as a learning disability, or mental health needs.

If you believe supported living is right for you, please contact the Access to Adult Social Care team. We can provide/ arrange services for you but there are other ways to get support.

Other ways to get support

You can self-fund, or if you are assessed as qualifying for a Adult Social Care funded care package you can choose to have an personal budget. The money that you receive from us can be used to arrange your own support.

Supported living is accommodation-based support that enables adults with learning and physical disabilities and mental health conditions to be supported to live as independently as possible.

Examples of people that would be suitable for supported living include:

• adults with global learning disabilities requiring less than 24 hours care
• adults with global learning disabilities requiring 24 hours support
• adults with global learning disabilities and a significant or complex mental health condition
• adults with global learning disabilities and a diagnosis of an autism spectrum condition
• adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), physical disabilities and epilepsy

Accommodation can range from self-contained flats to much larger shared houses with shared, communal spaces. Adults are usually offered a tenancy agreement or a license agreement, with rent covered by Housing Benefits.

Support is tailored to the individual needs and can support those whose needs require a few hours of support a day, to those with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) who require 24 hour support.