Looking to the future

Most young people or their families are not aware of the range of housing options available to people with a learning disability. They often wouldn’t know where to start or how to navigate the system to find the housing option that is most suitable.

It all depends on the particular needs and wishes of the person in question and how that will be sourced, supported or funded.

It’s important to speak to a housing expert as early as possible when you start to think about housing for a young person. Here are my top tips to get you started.

Work out what type of home you want and where

Would you prefer to live alone or with other people? Is it important to you to have privacy? You need to think about what is best for you. Start planning and take the time to research what the housing options are, and look at other areas apart from the one you are living in now.

For more information, click here: https://www.ndti.org.uk/resources/preparing-for-adulthood-all-tools-resources/pfa-independent-living

Do your research

Find out as much as you can about the areas that you’re looking in. You could search online for the following:

• Charities that help with housing
• Housing associations
• The local council which deals with housing
• Local estate agents who let out properties
• Local housing workshops that you can attend

Think about how you will pay for your home

You might be able to apply for Housing Benefit. Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are used to calculate Housing Benefit for people who are renting from private landlords. You can find out what the local rate for a postcode is here: https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/

To find out more information, see below:

• For renting, you can send in a query on the contact form: http://www.letsforlife.org.uk/
• For housing advice and information: https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/housing

Put your name down on the local council’s housing waiting list

To apply for social housing, you need to be on the local authority housing waiting list. Apply as early as you can because waiting lists can be long. The system is often known as the choice-based letting system.

You can write to the council’s housing department or fill in the application form online. You will need to say what type of place you need and that you will need support.

You can say that you will find it too difficult to bid for properties and you would like to be considered for a direct allocation.

Think about shared home ownership

There may be some shared ownership schemes in your local area. Ask the housing department at the council for information.

There is a government scheme designed to help people with a long-term disability buy any home for sale on a Shared Ownership basis (part-rent/part-buy). It is known as HOLD (Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities).

There are some specific conditions attached to HOLD and you can find out more here: www.ownyourhome.gov.uk/scheme/hold/