Housing options for young adults with care needs
If you have care and support needs which will continue into adulthood, planning usually starts at the age of 16. You can be referred to adult care services for a social care assessment from the age of 18. This assessment will show what kind of care and accommodation-based support needs you have. After the assessment, a care package will be agreed with you and your family and a social worker will work with you to help explain the different options available.
If you need help the 0-25 Together Team will carry on working with you until around your 25th birthday. They will assess your needs, learn about what you want to happen and help you to access the right services.
Most people from the age of 18 pay towards the cost of their care - you will have a financial assessment to decide how much.
Living in your own home or with your family
You could stay in your own home or in your family's home, and have support workers who help you to stay as independent as possible with daily tasks or getting out and about in the community. This is called support at home.
You'll need to contact the 0-25 together service to request an assessment.
Shared Lives - living in a carer's family home
Shared Lives offers the opportunity to live in a carer's family home.
Supported living
If you need this level of help, you could have your own flat in a supported living service, or rent a room in a shared house with other people who also access support. Help is provided where you live and you will have a housing tenancy. You will be supported to apply for housing benefit to help pay your rent. Some supported living services support people with very high 24 hour needs, and some provide only a few hours of help per day.
Residential care
Residential or nursing care in a care home provides shared accommodation with 24 hour on-site support for people with higher health and social care needs.
Buying your own home
You can get help with buying a house through a shared ownership scheme or HOLD (Home Ownership for people with Long-term Disabilities) scheme. The housing association will buy the property using a grant, and then sell a share of it to you. The rent, service charge and interest payments on your mortgage might be met by eligible benefits. The 0-25 Together Team can advise you on whether this option is best for you and what level of support can be provided.
You'll need to be claiming medium to higher level disability living allowance (DLA) to get this option.