Housing is
one of the main things we need to get right for people with a
learning disability. Anne Williams the new National Director
for Learning Disabilities says that housing is very important and
she hopes that more people can live in their own home in their
local area.
One of things that 'Valuing People
Now' says is that all people with learning disabilities and
their families should be able to make their own choices about where
they live and who they live with. So it is important to give people
with a learning disability and their families more choices about
housing.
The 'Housing Subgroup' is part of the Partnership Board. The
subgroup will make sure people with learning disabilities have
information and choice about where they want to live.
Supported Living
The Supported Living service supports people in their own
homes.
The amount of support given to a person is based on their
assessed needs. Some people share their homes with other
people who have similar needs. Many houses provide
support staff every hour of the day. Some houses have
staff there to give support during the night.
Some people who live in their own homes don't need a lot of
support and they might not need a member of support staff to
be there all the time. And some people don't need
support at night.
Shared Lives (this used to be
called Adult Placement)
The
Shared Lives Service is for people with a learning
disability, older people, people with mental health problems,
physical disabilities or sensory impairments who need personal
care and/or support and who would benefit from sharing a
lifestyle in a home environment.
The Shared Lives Service puts people in touch with
specially recruited carers from the community. These carers
are single people, couples or families who
offer accommodation and support within their own
homes. The Shared Lives Service can also provide
kinship support without accommodation.
The service can offer long term placements, short term
placements, respite placements and day
support. The day support service can be used on a
hourly basis.
If you want to know more about becoming a Shared Lives carer or
finding someone to care for you or support you,
please contact the Shared Lives Team on (01254) 269278. Or you
can click here to download the Shared Lives
Service leaflet.
There's more information about housing for people with
a learning disability in Blackburn with Darwen on the 'Your Support, Your Choice' website.
You can download a manual to help you with
your housing needs here
