“I wouldn’t change my flat for anything.” Is there Scope for more People with Learning Disabilities to Rent their own Homes?

In January 2022, a report on ‘Supporting people with learning disabilities to rent their own place’ was jointly published by researchers at the universities of York and Bristol, Riverside Housing Group, Learning Disability England, printmaker and doodler Stephen Lee Hodgkins and the Housing LIN.

This seminal report, accompanying easy-read resources and subsequent blog capture the learnings and findings from this NIHR SSCR-funded project on the ways that people with learning disabilities who are on the 'edges' of social care can be better supported to access and enjoy living in their own tenancies in the community.

Stephen has now created this YouTube video (opens new window), 'I wouldn't change my flat for anything' to illustrate the key messages and provide an overview of the findings.

Accessible summary

• People with learning disabilities want to live in a home they feel safe and comfortable in.
   
• Some—but not very many—people with learning disabilities rent their own homes from social housing organizations or private landlords. There is not much research about this.
   
• The research in this paper looked at local authority strategies about housing and people with learning disabilities and then talked to lots of different people about the issues including people with learning disabilities who do rent.
   
• Overall, people enjoy renting their own homes and feel happy and settled.
   
• But people did not always get enough support to rent their own homes. It could be a complicated process, and information was often not very accessible.