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Improving housing choice and supply

With thanks to the support of NHS England’s Transforming Care Partnership programme (opens new window), this page lists a comprehensive range of strategy and policy documents and practice examples that describe the different types of housing and related care and support services, ranging from residential care to supported housing and ‘shared lives’, that can help transform the lives of people with a learning disability and autistic people.

The Housing LIN is pleased to share its experience and insights working with NHS England and several local Transforming Care Partnerships to help develop their strategic housing partnerships and operational plans. For more about how we can help localities develop a better range of housing choices, download our brochure (opens new window).

Supporting people with learning disabilities at the edges of social care in social housing and the private rented sector

This research aimed to understand 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, when this is their choice.

Housing LIN Case Study (No. 172) Supported living homes for Wandsworth: Turning a dream into reality

Wandsworth Council has successfully completed its second supported housing development for young people with disabilities at Colson Way in Tooting. This project follows the success of Stag House in Putney Vale, which was shortlisted for Best Affordable Housing Development at the Inside Housing Awards 2021.

What help do people with learning disabilities need as they get older?

This summary of research by Manchester Metropolitan University finds that a secure, permanent home, access to transport links and green spaces, and support to maintain relationships with family and community are essential to support people with a learning disability and commissioners when planning ahead for older age.

Developing a housing with support pipeline for people with a learning disability and autistic people

Informed by expert advice and case studies from local councils, the Local Government Association commissioned this guide to inform councils about how to develop a housing with support pipeline for people with a learning disability and autistic people.

Supported housing in England: Estimating need and costs to 2040

Commissioned by the National Housing Federation, this report presents analysis on the need for supported housing, including housing for older people, in England to 2040 and the cost of meeting this need in terms of development, rent, service charges and support.

Supported housing: report by House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts

This report finds a sector riddled with long-standing challenges and warns of a lack of protections for vulnerable people being housed in poor-quality accommodation, with unsuitable or no additional support provided.

Housing Guide

This housing how to guide, funded by NHS England and produced (and published) by Learning Disability England, gives people access to information on their housing rights and choices, and will help them plan for what kind of housing is right for them and their family.

Brick by brick

Published by NHS England, this document contains resources to support mental health hospital-to-home discharge planning for autistic people and people with a learning disability, including protocol document and housing needs assessment templates.

Supported Housing – raising standards and improving the quality of support

To coincide with Starts at Home Day 2023, Ian Copeman, Business Director at Housing LIN, welcomes the introduction of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act that will enable local authorities to ensure that organisations providing supported housing meet the proposed national quality standards for supported housing.

Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act

The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act became law on 29 August 2023. This new legislation sets a framework for new systems for the supported housing and older person’s housing sector.

Supported housing for people with learning disabilities and autistic people in England

This report, written by the Housing LIN and commissioned by the Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network, provides the most up to date information on the size, scope, cost, support and importantly future needs of supported housing in England for individuals with a learning disability and autistic people.

Red Oak Court, Dorset – Relocatable Housing scheme for people with Learning Disabilities and Mental Health problems

This Housing LIN Case Study (166), written by Adam Fitzgerald, Programme Manager at Building Better Lives, Housing, Dorset Council, describes Red Oak Court, a housing scheme entirely constructed from factory-built modular units that can be relocated multiple times over their life.

Housing for people with a learning disability or autistic people

The Local Government Association (LGA) have collected a range of resources to help councils transform the local housing offer for people with a learning disability or autistic people.

Supporting people with learning disabilities to rent their own place

The findings from the first part of the ‘supporting people with learning disabilities to rent their own place’ project, funded by National Institute for Health Research, School for Social Care Research, is now available.

Considering and meeting the sensory needs of autistic people in housing: Supporting autistic people to flourish at home and beyond.

This resource draws attention to sensory considerations for housing, offers a selection of useful tips and makes recommendations that can be made to an environment to improve the sensory experiences and wellbeing of autistic people.

National Strategy for autistic children, young people, and adults 2021-2026

The Government has published the next strategy to improve the lives of autistic people: the national strategy for autistic children, young people, and adults: 2021 – 2026.

Cohousing plus: Widening the housing choices for people with a learning disability

This guest blog considers how cohousing could become a realistic solution for a diverse range of communities, including for adults with learning disabilities.

Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network Charter

The Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network, a coalition of twelve housing associations, have launched a 4 point Charter calling for action to address the barriers for new, sustainable quality housing for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

Specialised Supported Housing: guidance for local government and NHS commissioners

This guidance, produced by the Housing LIN for the Local Government Association, supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement, is intended to assist commissioners to take evidence-based decisions about Specialised Supported Housing (SSH), particularly lease-based SSH, to help protect and promote the best interests of people with a learning disability and autistic people, and other people with support needs.

Quality is up my street: The quality of housing services for and with people with learning disabilities

This report by the NDTi explores what is important to different groups in terms of the types of housing decisions available.

Finding our own way home – a ‘big’ conversation

With COVID-19 shining a spotlight into the health and social care inequalities faced by people with a learning disability and/or autism, this important new report - jointly written by the Housing LIN and Learning Disability England (LDE) - outlines the key results from research conducted into the housing opportunities and blockages for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

Supported housing for people with long-term care and support needs

This Housing LIN report sets out what is required to ensure there is sustainable development of supported housing for adults with long term care and support needs.

People with learning disabilities in England

Updates of national statistics about people with learning disabilities in England and the services and support available to them and their families.

Creating Quality Supported Living Homes with tailored person centred support for Adults with Learning Disabilities in Cornwall

This case study looks at a new housing development in Cornwall offering supported housing for people with learning disabilities.

Making Greater Manchester Autism Friendly

The Greater Manchester Autism Strategy

Building the right homes for adults with learning disabilities and autism in Oxfordshire

This Housing LIN case study (no 151) describes an innovative supported housing scheme, covering the planning, commissioning, and design of the homes.

Establishing the financial case for KeyRing

A new Housing LIN report looking at the financial benefits for local authorities of using KeyRing

Taking a population approach on housing for people with a learning disability

This guide from HACT encourages health and Local Authority commissioners to use a population approach to the provision of housing for those with a learning disability.

Making the funding system of supported housing work for all people with a learning disability: Specialised Supported Housing

This report commissioned by Mencap and written by the Housing LIN, provides a useful insight into Specialist Supported Housing by drawing on examples of good practice that can inform the debate around funding for supported housing into the future.

Learning disabilities and behaviour that challenges: service design and delivery

NICE have produced this guideline to cover services for children, young people and adults with learning disabilities and behaviour that challenges With the aim of promoting lifelong approaches to supporting people and their families and carers.

Transforming care partnership housing plans: self-assessment checklist

This NHF self-assessment checklist has been developed to help TCP Senior Responsible Officers (SROs) and programme managers to ensure they have the appropriate resources available, the delivery mechanisms in place and are getting the right support to meet the housing needs of people with a learning disability and/or autism.

Pan-Lancashire Transforming Care Partnership: Supported Living Framework

This supported living framework delivers a strategic approach to developing more flexible housing options within Lancashire to facilitate safe and effective hospital discharge.

Arden and Solihull TCP: a framework for procuring community supported living

This framework developed by Arden and Solihull Transforming Care Partnership is designed to help people with a learning disability and/or autism leave hospital into their accommodation with supported living.

Supporting people with profound and multiple learning disabilities: Core & essential service standards

This joint publication by Choice Support, PMLD Link, Care Management Group and The Sensory Projects - outlines key objectives and principles that, it states, should be evident across all education, health, and social care services

‘A place of my own’. Co-designing independent living for people with a learning or physical disability

This Housing LIN Case Study no 142 features an award-winning independent living scheme in Andover, Hampshire.

Do we need to re-think our approach to choice, and giving people with learning disabilities the choices that are spoken of?

This Housing LIN viewpoint no 88 considers whether there is a real choice if the housing solution promoted for people with learning disabilities is limited by supply?

Arden Transforming Care Partnership and HOLD (Home Ownership for people with Long-term Disabilities) in the Midlands

This Housing LIN case study no 136 by MySafeHome tells the story of E, a young woman who has made the life changing journey from an Acute Treatment Unit to a home of her own, somewhere she can live independently

Housing Choices Discussion Paper 4: Policy and Practice Recommendations

This is fourth and final paper in NDTI's Housing Choices Discussion Paper Series. It seeks to draw policy and practice recommendations from the discussion and debate around the previous papers

Hospitals are not Homes: Transforming Care. Better care and support for people with learning disabilities and autism in England after Winterbourne

This booklet by The National Forum of People with Learning Disabilities and the National Valuing Families Forum sets out: how to get involved in making Transforming Care for people with learning disabilities...

Building the right home

This blog by Sean McLaughlin, Director of Housing and Adult Social Services, Islington Council, and joint chair of the national ADASS Learning Disability network was published by NHS England to coincide with their new housing guidance.

Learning disability housing needs analysis

This online resource pack from Public Health England provides useful headline information for commissioners (Partnership Boards) on a range of fields.

Homes not hospitals – let’s not be cynical

This blog by Rob Greig, Chief Executive of NDTi, appeared in Learning Disability Today and responds to the then government's new national implementation plan to develop community services and close inpatient facilities.

Housing needs & aspirations assessment

This form from Learning Disability England is an example of a questionnaire aimed at people with a learning disability to help generate housing specifications.

National Audit Office report on learning disabilities

A hard hitting NAO report, 'Care services for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour', reveals that the Government has not met its central goal of moving people with learning disabilities...

A proposed typology of housing and support options

As part of their series of 'Housing Choices' discussion papers, NDTi wish to stimulate debate about the continued over reliance and possible increase in use of residential care, and to encourage more...

The need for community: A study of housing for adults with learning disabilities

This report from the Centre for Social Justice analyses to what degree the current system of residential care and supported living schemes offers autonomy and control to adults with learning disabilities....

Specialised Supported Housing & Extra Care: A Briefing Paper 2017

This briefing paper has been commissioned by HB Villages to test their specialised supported housing hypothesis.

Housing and older people with a learning disability

This factsheet by the Housing & Support Alliance (now Learning Disability England) gives an overview of the issues facing older people with learning disabilities and their changing housing needs.

Housing for people with a learning disability

This report is intended to support decision-makers on issues relating to the provision of housing for people with a learning disability in England.

Pennine Court - remodelling sheltered housing to include extra care for people with learning disabilities

This Housing LIN Case Study No29 describes the development of extra care housing for older people with learning difficulties within a conventional sheltered housing scheme in Salford. It details the...

New provisions for older people with learning disabilities

This Housing LIN Factsheet No3 describes the characteristics and needs of older people with learning disabilities. It outlines issues and good practice in the development of supported housing that can...

Living on the edge - enabling older owner occupiers with mild learning disabilities

Published by Care & Repair England, this report considers the needs of older people with moderate or mild learning disabilities who live independently in their own homes and may not be known to statutory...

New initiatives for people with learning disabilities

This Housing LIN Report by Jenny Pannell, explores the role of extra care and similar provision of housing, care and support for adults of all ages with learning disabilities, with examples and ideas...

Independent Living Strategy: Review of Progress

This report by Jenny Morris for In Control and Disability Rights UK measures progress of the Office for Disability Issues' 2008 Independent Living Strategy. Key findings include: There is no evidence...

Hands Off Its My Home! A path to Citizenship

Produced by Sam Sly, Enough is Enough - Time4Change A toolkit for auditing support to people with learning disabilities and developing an outcomes-based action plan for Citizenship. Hands Off It's...

Finding a Place to Live - Help with your plans

This guide was produced by VPST (Valuing People Support Team) as a VP Now Guide for Families or other advocates or brokers to help with planning and finding housing and support for people with a learning...

Autism and Homelessness – Increasing autism awareness and improving access and engagement in homelessness services

Research conducted by Dr Beth Stone at the University of Bristol examined the factors which increase risk of homelessness for autistic people, autistic people’s experiences of homelessness, and barriers to service engagement.

The importance of home: Satisfaction with accommodation, neighborhood, and life in adults with autism

Published by the National Library of Medicine, this research paper describes the housing situation of a large sample of adults with autism and mostly average intellectual abilities.

Living in the Community: Housing Design for Adults with Autism

This project explored how design could improve living environments for adults with autism, support their specific needs and improve quality of life.