Supported housing

[baggyjeans]

Hey! I am currently living with my parents but I'm soon going to be 26 so really I need/want to be living independently. I feel I require quite a lot of emotional support and that I would find it difficult to live totally alone. I have been researching supported housing and wondered what it's like and what sort of people are offered supported housing. I might ask my care co-ordinator about it when I see her on Wednesday but just wondered what other people's experience of supported housing has been. Thanks!

[whirlpools]

I'm just about to move out of supported housing after 2 1/2 years. It's been a positive experience - it's meant that there have been people to talk things through if I've been worried or upset, and they are also able to spot signs of relapse earlier than you might on your own, and can contact your care team. They do a lot of helping with practical things too, like shopping, liaising with people for you for things like setting up utilities, bills, benefits etc., and support with cooking, cleaning, or socialising.

[baggyjeans]

Well, that sounds like the sort of thing I need. I will ask my care co. about it. I notice there aren't really many places. Did you have to wait long to get into supported housing? Thanks!

[not_so_insig]

Some supported housing may offer you support which is not mental health specific. I was in one for nearly 2 1/2 years which was included (at the time) all women who were considered vulnerable (and their children if applicable). This didnt just mean people with mental health problems, but those fleeing domestic violence, those who had been abused etc.

Like disappear said, mine helped with you with managing bills, setting up utilties, social activities, reminding me to take my repeat prescription to the doctors etc. I also had support with attending an (physical health) doctor's appointment. Mine wasnt involved (because they werent mental health specific), directly with my mental health, but my specific support worker had contact with my social worker, so if she was worried about my mental health then she did talk to her.

I had to wait about 8 months for an actual flat, which wasnt too bad, but what helped with my situation is that I wanted anywhere within the county: so they were able to consider me for nearly all their properties (there was about 2 that werent suitable). Had I wanted a specific area or was more specific requirement wise then probably I would have waited longer!!

I was like you: wanted to move out as I was living with my parents. I think that going to supported housing then living alone really helped, and prevented a relapse. If it had been the other way around I would have relapsed sooner, and been really bad mental health wise. Like disappear said, mine has been a positive experience overall. I was dropped by a stone though a little by the support worker (which was not my original one, who was really great) who I had when I was moving out, but she has now changed jobs, so she doesnt do that to anyone any more!!

[baggyjeans]

Thanks for the responses! It sounds like it is exactly what I need. I definitely going to look into it more and talk to my care co-ordinator about it on Wednesday. I guess the sooner I get the ball rolling, the sooner I might have somewhere to live so best do it asap! I'm not really that fussy about where I live so hopefully that should help things, too! I really like the idea of having the support as don't think I would cope totally on my own!

[lozza]

ok so an experience from an aussie girl :)

I am currently in supported accomodation/housing and have been since november last year. I have found its been very benefical for me and more so because my parents didnt get what I was going through and so now I am able to talk more (mostly to workers) and hence am not bottling things up as much as what I was before moving here.

like others have said the workers help out with numerous stuff like shopping, financially, emotionally, with apts if you need help getting to and from them or just need someone to attend with you....
I am not sure what its like over there but I know that where I am they also help residents move out and find suitable housing when they are ready (where I am you can only stay here for 2 yrs)

hope this is helpful. feel free to PM if you have anymore qsts

[baggyjeans]

Thanks Lozza! Always nice to hear an Aussie's point of view too!

Well, it sounds like supported housing is a really positive place to be. It's just what I need and I just hope that my care co-ordinator agrees! I hope the waiting list in my area isn't too long either!!

xx

[not_so_insig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lozza

I am not sure what its like over there but I know that where I am they also help residents move out and find suitable housing when they are ready (where I am you can only stay here for 2 yrs)

Mine was also a maximum of 2 years, but been as my move out date was December, they gave me a 6 month extension due to this (since because of Christmas, the council were highly unlikely to find me somewhere, and also because of my support workers didnt work bank holidays, then a lot of December they didnt work either) and also because of my mental health problems they thought it would be highly deterimental to make me move out then. But if you wanted to move out before then for whatever reason (a lot of young people i.e. those under 25 moved out because they didnt like their rules. For example they banned visitors after 10 pm and also because the bedsits for the under 25s were in a large building they also banned male visitors. The rules for over 25s who were not in flats in that building but housed all over the county were different) then you were allowed to do so, provided you gave a month's notice. Mine also helped with filling out council/housing association application forms too.

I dont know if it is applicable to you or not, but if you have a pet and want to take it, I would ask their policy on pets. They all have different rules on pets, some supported housing do ban pets entirely (unless it is an guide dog) and some allow pets, but with certain restrictions. It would be annoying for you if you are offered an place, but want to take an dog but arent allowed it, and have nobody who could look after it. It's something to think about.

[Steel Maiden]

It has helped me a lot but I don't live in a supported flat - I live in a shared house and I get one bedroom to myself. The carers are a bit useless though. But I am so much more independent than I used to be. I also find living with other people (who are very quiet which is good) is better than being alone for days.

[Cedrus]

I live in supported housing and have found it really helpful. I have my one room in a big house and there are 9 other people who live in the house. We have house meetings, a music group, cinema group etc. The staff here are really nice. I have a keyworker and she helps me plan my week and keep myself occupied and they are there for when I am feeling low. Lol, they help me with the cleaning too which is nice =]

I feel like its the best thing I have done. I put it off for about 2 years but things have improved since coming here, I've had less hospital admissions an my self harm has reduced too. The staff here work 9am to 9pm everyday except sundays where they leave at 5 and they have an office downstairs.

Good luck with talking to your care co-ordinator about it.

[baggyjeans]

Thank you! I will let you know how it goes!

[not_so_insig]

Oh and I forgot to mention with me, my support worker wasnt there 24/7 but 9-5 weekdays and the odd weekends. If she was off/ill there wasnt really cover, but you could phone the local office and speak to anyone if you needed something. But towards the end of my stay they were trying to include a "secondary" support worker, someone who was designated to you in case your main support worker was off so that you had a familiar person to help you rather than talking to another worker based in the office who you had never met before. Which was a good thing IMO. Also for people who were on a "warning" (meaning that their conduct was for some reason unacceptable, and could potentially be thrown out of their flat. They took this very seriously and didnt like throwing people out for breach of tenancy, but some people really disregarded the rules or didnt pay rent (or didnt bother to fill in the benefit forms, even though they could have had help) they really had no choice) for their behaviour it was deemed that if for a fixed time (e.g. 4 months) they could not be visited on their own, but had to have 2 support workers with them on home visits, so it helped also it was the same two people rather than it being their personal worker and whoever helped to be free from the office.

If it was after 5 pm or on weekends then there was a phone number you could call. However this was staffed on a rota basis throughout the whole of the organisation, which meant that sometime you could be talking to someone whose office was 100 miles away. If you wanted to talk to someone (for example you were scared or frightened, or wanted advice on practical help if something went wrong) it was ok but if you felt suicidal or felt like SIing, then really they werent much help (because that is not what they were there for as none were mental health specific trained) and in reality you were better off phoning an organsation like the Samaritans. I only phoned the helpline once because 1) I dont like talking to strangers 2) I had a terrible mobile phone signal - only 2 networks worked, and they would only work in one room in the flat and 3) the cost was horrendous on a mobile (did not have, and still dont have a landline) as it was an 0845 number. So yeah the only criticism I had really was the out of hours service, which wasnt really useful or practical in my situation.