Investing in homes to enable people to live as independently as possible

Shropshire Council and The Development Trust, a national charity with strong links in the county, are continuing to invest in homes which enable vulnerable people to move back to Shropshire to be closer to their friends and families, and live as independently as possible.

Lee Chapman, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult services – transformation and safeguarding, said:

“Shropshire Council is considered to be a leader in supporting people in this way, and I am proud that we are continuing to enable more people to live in the county, instead of being away from Shropshire and their communities.

“Providing excellent supported living accommodation is the council’s response to the findings of the Winterbourne View report, and we have been working on this for nearly two years now.

“It completely goes against the findings of the recently released report on post-Winterbourne by Sir Stephen Bubb, which states that there has been little progress made by councils.

“We will continue to work tirelessly to safeguard people with learning disabilities wherever they live, providing good quality accommodation in our local communities is a really important part of this.”

An example of how the council is doing this includes work to build new supported living and specialist care accommodation for people with learning disabilities at Adderley Road in Market Drayton.

The longstanding and well-established partnership between the council and the Development Trust has enabled this significant development to repatriate vulnerable adults back to Shropshire.  The Development Trust have supported this project in direct response to the shocking and disturbing findings of Winterbourne View.

The Shropshire Council-commissioned accommodation, to be completed by May 2015, will provide accommodation for adults with learning disabilities.  It will enable those who are currently living outside the county to return to their home county of Shropshire and be closer to their families and friends.

This development is being jointly funded by The Development Trust and Shropshire Council.  When complete it will provide 24-hour, one-to-one care, for some of the most vulnerable adults in the county’s communities.

Two supported living bungalows, four flats and a small supported living development – all with gardens and a community allotment – are being built on the site to enable people to live as independently as possible, depending on their specific needs.  The site is a former builder’s yard and garage that has been out of use for some time.

Lee Chapman said:

“This development is a real asset to the area and I pleased to see that work is progressing well to provide new, high-quality homes for adults with learning disabilities.

“Supporting people with learning disabilities to live within their own communities is a really good way to encourage independence and help people lead a normal life as much as possible.

“Supported Living accommodation provides social inclusion and independence, and has been recognised nationally as a positive way of encouraging people to develop their own skills rather than being in a residential home.”

The development will remain in council ownership and it will work with different organisations to manage the overall site.  First Choice, a housing provider which specialises in learning disability housing, has recently been appointed to manage the properties and the council is in the process of seeking a care provider to deliver the 24- hour care and support.

Lee Chapman added:

“As well as providing excellent and varied accommodation, the site will provide employment opportunities for care staff within the town, which in turn will have a positive impact on the area and local community.”

This development is just one of many being taken forward by the council, with the support of The Development Trust.