Supported living

We can provide support so you can live in your own home; we call this supported living.

Supported living is for people with a learning disability or mental health problem who want to live as independently as possible. We provide a range of care options to suit different levels of needs.

You will be encouraged to make your own choices about daily living, we provide support to help you do lots of things like:

managing your money
cooking and shopping
staying healthy
getting out and about.

This short film aims to give a clear, easy to understand introduction to supported living for people with Care Act eligible needs, their families and the professionals supporting them as they explore housing options.

Supported living means having your own home, with the right level of support, so you can live as independently as possible while still getting help when you need it. It shows how supported living can offer independence and security.

The film uses clear explanations and real-life stories to show the different types of homes people can live in. For example, individual flats or shared houses and the flexible, personalised support available. As well as how professionals help people build skills and confidence.

It also explains that supported living is an alternative to residential care, giving people choice and control over where and how they live, highlighting key areas such as tenancy agreements, housing rights and maximising benefits.

How does supported living work?

To understand how much support you need we will carry out an assessment. If we agree supported living is the right option for you we will help you choose:

who you live with: you can live on your own or share with others
who provides your support: you can choose your support provider
where you live, you can live in a flat, share house or an intentional community.

Our Housing with Support Strategy [PDF] sets out how we will work with partners to provide specialist housing support for adults aged 18-64 who have a long term illness and/or disability to enable them to live as independently as possible in their own home.