Care Housing‘s relatively small size means it can respond to individual needs, including desired location, type of housing and special features. Rosemary Trustam looks at some of their successful projects.
With local authorities struggling to meet the expectations of people with learning disabilities to live in their own homes, one organisation is finding creative ways of solving the problem.
Care Housing is a registered housing provider in the process of applying for charitable status so it can provide more homes to its target group, mainly people with learning disabilities. It is located in the North West serving around 115 supported tenants. Its relatively small size means it can respond to individual needs, including desired location, type of housing and special features needed.
The organisation operates on the premise that suitability of living accommodation is key to an individual’s independence and well-being and should be part of the care assessment process to ensure it is appropriately met. Social landlords now also have a duty to safeguard vulnerable tenants and should co-operate with social care, health services and the criminal justice system.
Priority
Going that extra mile is often what’s needed to meet people’s needs and help them towards full and more independent lives. Care Housing sees working with tenants to meet their needs and wishes as a priority. Here are a few examples of how they have helped people get suitable homes:
Fred moved into a property with a view to others joining him but difficulties arose unrelated to him. The property was a high cost leased property so, with just a single tenant, it would have been more cost-effective to help him find alternative accommodation. Care Housing did not want to disrupt the tenant’s life as he was settled and happy in the house and the neighbourhood. It carried the high costs to find a solution to keep Fred in his home. The solution was to take on the additional costs permanently to support an appropriate plan for Fred and two others to share rather than the four it was designed for – more costly for Care Housing but the best solution for Fred.
Care Housing regularly comes across instances where the poor quality of a home means it is unsustainable and the tenants are unhappy. John and Mark had been living in a damp house with poor heating and a landlord who ignored the need for repairs. Both men had known each other since school and were keen to remain living together. They go to the gym and social clubs together and, despite each supporting opposite sides of Manchester’s football teams (John the blue and Mark the red side), they get on surprisingly well! Care Housing looked at dozens of houses in their local area before finding the right one, helped by their mothers and support providers. Following some refurbishment, the house provides a comfortable, damp-free home and has given them a renewed enthusiasm in their lives.
With its commitment to long-term homes for people Care Housing has also been prepared to invest beyond what a property resale might achieve, illustrated by one of its recent housing provisions. A specialist provider needed a property in the right location to meet the needs of two young men who presented high risks and challenges but needed to be supported together. The property therefore had to provide potentially two self-contained areas under one roof. A property was identified but required the roof replacing, extensive environmental works, as well as complete internal refurbishment to provide the self-contained areas and a separate staff area. The costs increased the purchase price from £84000 to £184000, well beyond its value, but it meant their needs were effectively met.
Peter, Daryl and Brian all knew each other and wanted to live together so this governed the choice of housing. Once the property was found, they developed it to suit the needs and requests of the men. The success of the move has been in no small part due to the meetings that took place between them, their families, their support team and Care Housing to plan and respond to their needs and wishes. So it has sizeable bedrooms, a large open plan living/dining room, and extensive gardens with fish ponds which they wanted. The property is located in a good local community and, since moving there, they have all become part of the community and have befriended neighbours and shopkeepers. They are all more independent, involved in community activities reflecting their preferences and interests, including voluntary work.
Cautious
Some local authority commissioners have had their fingers burnt dipping too far into housing matters and are becoming much more cautious, renegotiating their agreements with housing providers to try to avoid taking on unoccupied housing costs in future. We need housing providers like Care Housing and others prepared to work as part of the team, making person-centred assessments of needs, and where the team includes the person and, where appropriate, their families. We also need support and housing providers to help people be confident to move on from their accommodation as their preferences and relationships change.
Names have been changed
For further information on Care Housing contact Matthew Eddisford CEO on 0845 437 7367 – see http://www.careha.org.uk/
See comment, page 1, Providing tailored housing will save money in the long term
