SFHT: Enriching lives through supported living

Social Problem

People who have a learning disability sometimes need extra support. While they can get that support in a residential home, they then have limited opportunities for independence.

Solution

While The Stable Family Home Trust (SFHT) still runs one small residential home, it has mainly transitioned to supported-living accommodation. Tenants live independently. They have their own tenancy agreement, their own front door and their own private space. They also have greater control over their finances.

SFHT works with each tenant to create a personalised support plan. A member of staff is on site 24/7 and can help with tenants’ daily needs, such as personal care, cooking and money management. The eight supported-living properties are all located near a bus route and shops, so tenants can go shopping and easily meet up with friends and family members.

Loan

One of SFHT’s properties was no longer meeting the charity’s high standards. The problems couldn’t be solved with refurbishment alone as the design and layout needed changing, so the charity decided to buy a new property. However, it wanted to make the move as easy as possible for tenants, which meant moving them to the new property before selling the old one. So, it turned to Charity Bank for a bridging loan. The £700,000 loan meant SFHT could buy a £1 million property, which had recently been converted into six units of accommodation.

Impact

In the old property, the tenants all shared a kitchen. Now, most tenants have their own kitchen and private living space. The units have been refurbished to a very high standard. As Colin Waters, CEO of SFHT says, “The tenants were wowed when they saw their new homes.”

High-quality supported-living accommodation gives people a much richer life. From making a friend dinner, to going to the cinema, tenants can live life on their own terms. This also gives them greater confidence, which reverberates through all areas of their lives.