Living Their Life – Workshop Speaker Notes 12.02.2026

Why might it be of interest?

These are all the notes Sue used to present her parts of the workshop.  If your young person leaving the family home is anywhere on your radar these notes are likely to be relevant to you.

A summary of family live experiences will be included in the Independent Living category.

Where your young person might live, how they will be supported, how it is all paid for – it’s all a bit unclear to most families.  This workshop gives an overview of the information you need to understand the options along with examples of the lived experience of some of our local families.

I give links to other articles on the information hub that are relevant as we go through but you might also like to refer to the workshop notes of previous workshops we have run on this topic as we have approached from a slightly different perspective each time:  https://ruils.co.uk/article-cat/independent-living/

https://ruils.co.uk/article/supported-living-housing-benefit-workshop/

https://ruils.co.uk/article/living-the-life-supported-living-parent-notes/

https://ruils.co.uk/article/supported-living-workshop-notes-06-march-2024/

Living their Life – Presentation Notes

When our young people no longer live at home – what might that look like?

Today we’re going to look at a range of options – but not just the theory

I have parent stories to share with you

• That is their real life experience
• We 3 parents here today to speak to you about the living arrangements for their young people
• And I have notes from 2 more parents about their experience of their young people leaving home
• We also have Karl Burgess here to talk about how our more able young people might find a flat through the housing register
• And finally I am going to present a bit about an organisation called MySafeHome which is about a young person buying their own property

I will include summaries and key points from the parent presentations.

I am going to start with an introduction to give a bit of context to the various living situations we’re going to hear about today.

I’m trying to avoid using the term supported living as it tends to have quite a specific meaning and we’re going to look at wider options.  But I’ll probably forget – but today I am talking about supported living in its wider context

The first thing I have to say is that this workshop is relevant to disabled young people who are eligible for care and support from Adult Social Care (ASC).

This is key – if your young person is NOT eligible then none of what follows today is relevant.

Sadly, you are pretty much on your own with organising more independent living for your young person.

I’m not going to go into detail about the eligibility criteria – I have all that information on the information hub

Notes from the ASC-DP workshop:  https://ruils.co.uk/article/adult-social-care-and-direct-payments-notes-from-bfhome-12-01-26/

Preparing for the assessment1:  https://ruils.co.uk/article/prep-for-a-care-act-assessment-1/

But just briefly – the categories assessed are not dissimilar to PIP – they’re all daily living activities.

 

Supported Living – in the specific sense

This is a model for independent living where housing is provided alongside support, supervision or care to help people live as independently as possible in their community.

Both elements – care and housing – have to be provided together but the contracts are separate.

So, a person could move house and take their care package with them or if they wanted to change care provider they could remain in their home.

There are many variations in how this looks:

Shared house with other young people living as a family or in the same way a group of friends might share their home:

• Own bedroom
• Sharing communal facilities – living space, bathrooms, kitchen
• May share some activities
• May eat together
• Each person will have their own support package possibly including 1 to 1 hours and also shared hours and maybe overnights
  • Depending on the needs of the young people

 

Shared house with other young people but living more separately:

• Own bedroom

• Sharing communal facilities – living space, bathrooms, kitchen
• May share some activities
• May eat together
• More likely to be ‘doing their own thing’
• Not quite as integrated as the first option
• Possibly likely more able young people
• Each person will have their own support package possibly including 1 to 1 hours
• Likely a carer present 24/7
• This might look a bit like how students live in halls of residence

 

Individual flat:

• As it says – living in their own flat
• Most likely not sharing
• But also likely in a small block of flats where everyone is disabled and needing a certain level of support
• Each individual will have their own support package
• There might be a 24/7 warden – or access to an off-site warden – but individuals probably don’t need 24/7 care or someone overnight in their living space
• There might be communal spaces
• The care provider might be organising group activities

There can be different ‘levels’ of this arrangement, for example, where all the residents are very able but need some oversight – they may not have individual care packages – or only for a few hours – but there may be someone on site 24/7 or there may be an on-call system in place.

There’s no hard and fast rules around complexity of need or number of hours support needed that determines whether supported living is appropriate for a young person.

But locally the young people in supported living arrangements tend to be young people with support needs ranging from 24/7 to maybe 25-30 hours a week?

Given that it becomes clearer why supported living might not be the route for our more able young people.

For example

• The needs of young people in a house might be much greater than a more able young person
• The help and support provided might be intrusive for someone more able to manage
  • Having a carer in the home all the time or coming and going throughout the day may not be comfortable for someone who does not need that level of support
• They may want very different things out of their home life
• They may have very different interests
• Even if they lived in an individual flat would they want to be surrounded by people with very different needs to theirs?

To be completely honest many of our most able young people do not consider themselves disabled and do not want to live / work / socialise with people who they see as disabled.

It’s not out of the question to have more able young people living with more disabled young people but these arrangements usually work best where there is some similarity of need.

What really sets supported living apart from independent living in the community with care is the level of care needed.

This is not defined very well in any documentation but this might help position it a bit more:

Care provided in supported living is more than minimal, ie it is more than, for example:

• A short visit once a week
• General advice and guidance
• The support provided and the time spent makes a difference, eg
  • 121 support is more substantial than group support
  • Support actually provided counts for more than support simply available

 

Independent living in the community

I wanted to talk about this as I have become aware that quite a number of my clients have quite able young people where supported living probably isn’t going to be their route into independent living.

When I say independent living what I mean is as independently as is possible.

I don’t mean young people who can live without any support or oversight at all.

These are likely young people who need some support but certainly not 24/7 and possibly not even every day, for example:

• A young person may need help to get up and ready for their day but then they’re good to go for the day
• They might need help to make and attend medical appointments but they can manage their everyday life
• They might need help to stock their fridge and help them exercise
• They might need someone to check in 2 or 3 times a week to help with admin, make sure they’ve shopped, done the housework, dealt with any problems
• The support may have elements of the definition above
  • It’s more than minimal, eg one short visit a week
  • But it might be more in line with general advice and guidance
  • Support via a group might be adequate
  • On-call support might be as much is needed rather than regular hours

Again, no hard and fast rules but this could be anything from a few hours or 10 hours a week or a little more – but far short of 24/7 or even several hours a day.

Sourcing the home

• Via the housing register
  • Young people with support needs can be placed on the supported queue for a home
  • Karl will talk more about this
• Private renting

The care provided will be assessed and funded by ASC and provided by directly employed PAs or maybe an agency.

It might be called outreach or floating support

Karl is going to talk more about this

And we have a real life example

 

Residential Care

There’s no right or wrong living arrangement – just what suits the young person best.

But parents do often shy away from residential care assuming it won’t be appropriate for their young person

We don’t have many young people supported in residential care but it is an option.

Some of the key points:

• A good residential arrangement and supported living arrangement may not look all that different – and that’s a good thing – it’s excellent news if the home looks and feels like an ordinary home rather than a workplace, regardless of the technicalities of the living arrangement
• Housing and care are wrapped up together so you can’t change one without the other
• You actually have less security as you’re likely to be on a month’s notice (people in supported living have a tenancy agreement)
• More likely to be mixed ages – but this is not necessarily a problem
• No choice about who you live with – but given the shortage of supported living places at any one time that could still be a restriction
• Possibly less focus on promoting and supporting independent living skills
• The timetable will be aimed at the majority
• But young people should have activities and support built into their package to give them that flexibility
• Most of your young person’s benefits go towards the package – they are generally left with the Personal Expenses Allowance – currently just over £30 per week

Benefits

• The care will definitely be 24/7 and may include nursing care
• No additional bills
• May be less intense for some young people as there’s likely to be more people in the home (although they do tend to be quite small 6-10 people)
• All found – ie meals, activities, laundry, care

 

Other options

• Community Living – think L’Arche or Camphill
• Village communities
• Campus communities

I don’t actually know much about these options but they are all variations on people living as a community.

We have a real life experience of a young person living in a Camphill community.

The settings vary a lot

Some are rural, others are more urban

Some have all or most of their facilities on a single site

Others will be spread across a small town or village

Facilities:

• Homes – individual houses or larger shared houses
• Work opportunities – the community might run a café or a farm shop, for example
• Activities – there will be organised activities and if the community is more urban the people can access local activities on offer; Camphill in St Albans has an art studio where residents can take part in art activities for their own pleasure or to sell in their café/shop
• There may be facilities for:
  • Education
  • Entertainment and leisure
  • Employment – eg a café run by the residents; farm work; market garden; art studio and other crafts
• Residents may live and work entirely within the community or they may access the wider community for work, leisure, education

You may also hear the term congregate settings or intentional communities or shared life communities

 

Let’s talk money!

So, who pays for it all?

Care packages are funded by the local authority based on the assessed needs of the young person:

• Vary from a few hours a week up to 24/7
• Care can be shared between residents where it’s appropriate
• A young person may have a few hours 1 to 1; further hours shared
• It can include overnight care

Where a young person lives in a shared house there will almost certainly be shared hours unless the needs are very complex and it’s not safe to share care.

This isn’t a bad thing – few of our young people need constant 1 to 1 care – it can in fact be something of a barrier

Sharing care can make the financial aspect of living arrangements more viable

 

Housing

• Rent will be covered by Housing Benefit in the case of supported living, or
• The housing element of Universal Credit (UC) in the event of a young person living independently in the community either in a housing register home or privately renting

Housing Benefit covers nearly all of the rent and associated housing costs for young people in supported living where the house is shared and much of the space is considered to be communal space.

HB includes service charges which can include:

• Council tax
• Buildings insurance
• Maintenance
• Bills for communal heating and light
• Management fee

When a young person lives alone, eg in their own flat, they will have to pay gas and electric bills as all their usage is for personal use in the flat – there’s no communal space here.

Heating and light for the communal spaces of the block of flats will be part of the service charge which is covered by HB.

For a young person to claim HB their living arrangement must be:

• Supported living
• Housing provided by a specific type of housing provider

Otherwise, a young person on benefits will have their rent and service charges paid via the housing element of UC

 

Local Housing Allowance

Each local authority sets an upper limit on the rent they will pay for various sizes of accommodation – the Local Housing Allowance.

If renting privately this is the maximum amount the LA will pay towards rent

• UC housing element also includes service charges – these are charges you have to pay to live in your flat
• UC housing element does not pay for personal heating and light (but it will pay the service charge associated with the communal areas of a block of flats)

LB Richmond has 3 areas where the amounts are slightly different.

A young person in receipt of PIP will be eligible for the one bedroom rate.  If they need overnight care they will be eligible for the 2 bedroom rate.

https://www.richmond.gov.uk/local_housing_allowance

In the private rental market it is unlikely that UC will cover all of the rent

And the young person needs to be able to pay their bills on top of that

It can be difficult for young people on benefits to find a property to rent privately.

It is illegal for landlords to discriminate against people on benefits but hard to prove

It pays to be prepared to present yourself as a good bet.

Information on the information hub:  https://ruils.co.uk/article/renting-on-benefits/

 

Housing register flat

Rents on properties sourced through the housing register are set at an affordable rate so it is likely that the housing element of UC will cover the rent.

Karl is going to talk more about when this might be an option

 

Where do houses for Supported Living come from?

It’s important to understand that while the more generous Housing Benefit can be used to pay the rent and service charges on the home the housing provider does have to fall into a specific category to be eligible.

https://ruils.co.uk/article/supported-living-notes-about-exempt-status/

So, while all these options below are options not all would be eligible for rent via HB – and therefore the rent would be paid via the housing element of UC.

Houses could be rented from:

• A private landlord – rented by the tenant or the council
• A registered housing provider – a registered social housing landlord or housing association
• The council
• A provider like United Response might agree a lease with a private landlord with the agreement that they can sublet to tenants
• A housing provider might rent their houses, using specialist housing and support providers like United Response as their managing agents
  • Not all housing providers are disability specific and in these instances they might prefer to let the house to the tenant using a managing agent like UR

It is not necessarily a problem that a young person’s rent will be covered by the housing element of UC but it is important to be aware of the difference between this and Housing Benefit.

 

Family purchase

I am not aware of this having happened very often but there is no reason why a family can’t buy a home for their young person.

Another option might be for 2 or more families to buy a home together – but this does add a layer of complexity!

I would strongly recommend good legal advice if you might consider purchasing with another family.

There’s a lot to consider here, for example:

• What happens if a family needs to cash in their share
• What happens if a young person wants to move out
• How does another young person / family join
• Do you share a vision
• Do you want to manage the house directly
• Or would you want a housing provider to become the manager
• Your answer affects who pays the rent!

If you are in a position to buy the home but would like your young person to share with one or more other young people you must be conscious of ALL the costs involved.  The additional costs covered by Housing Benefit are not made up – they are real costs that someone has to pay.

If you are the landlord you can only rent the property privately.  The housing element of UC will cover some (most?) of the rent and some service charges but there are a lot of other costs it won’t cover but someone has to pay.  Your tenants on benefits are not going to be able to afford these costs.  You may be happy to absorb the additional costs for your young person but would you be happy to do this for other young people?

I would strongly recommend you enter into discussions with housing providers who can offer exempt accommodation before buying a property.  If you can find a housing provider to take you and your property on then you can take a step back as they become the landlord and manage the property on a day to day basis.  Eligible housing providers won’t work with every family or take on every property so start discussions before you find yourself with a house or flat where you have to be the landlord and therefore can only rent privately.

 

MySafeHome

This is an overview – I am not going into a lot of detail, why:

• I’m no expert – you need to contact MySafeHome directly to explore more
• This option may not be suitable for many of our young people
• Most likely because of the financial demands

The Premise

Shared ownership on a local Housing Association property

You buy a share – typically 20% or 25%

With a government backed mortgage

You pay rent on the remaining share to the Housing Association

Typically covered by the housing element of Universal Credit

While you own a share you are paying rent on the remaining share

• So it is your own home
• The percentage is not fixed – it could be more or less than these figures
• You can buy more of your property in the future if you can afford it

You can decorate as you like

You are responsible for repairs and maintenance

The amount of the mortgage is limited – more on that later

We’ll look at key criteria but this premise is based on a young person being in receipt of PIP and UC with the limited capability for work element (LCWRA)

This is a good option for a young person who wants to live in their own home on their own!

Who are MySafeHome?

• David Abbey is the director
• Shared purchase is facilitated by the use of specialist mortgages for people with disabilities
• MSH can support you through the whole process
• Working with MySafeFuture on the finances
• https://mysafehome.info/

How it works

• Contact MySafeHome for an initial conversation
• Complete the Pre-Mortgage Application
• Get to know MySafeHome – and they get to know you
• Finding a home and securing a mortgage
• Claiming for rent, service charges, SMI (Support for Mortgage Interest)

You should start by speaking to MySafeHome before going any further to get a quick view of whether your young person is eligible

If they are then you can go onto the pre-mortgage application which is further information to confirm eligibility

It’s important that you feel confident with MySafeHome and that they understand your needs so they can ensure that ownership is right for you; confirm affordability; and providing a proposal for you

You can look for a home on https://www.sharetobuy.com/ and MySafeHome can also help introduce you to a Housing Association

Once your property purchase is complete they organise, complete and submit claim forms for rent, service charges and SMI (Support for Mortgage Interest)

The maximum mortgage is £100k

That would allow a young person to buy 25% of a £400k flat

It would probably only be a one bed

You are probably looking at local properties

Housing Associations will prioritise local residents

The finances

• Set up costs
• Mortgage repayments
• Rent, service charges
• Your benefits

There are upfront costs

You will need to pay a deposit and other fees associated with buying a home

The fees for MySafeHome support

This amounts to about £17,000

Your young person will have to make a contribution towards their housing costs of around £30 per week from their benefits

Financial example of a property of £400,000

HA own 75%; you own 25%

Your 25% is £100,000 with a £95,000 mortgage

5% Deposit of £5,000 + Fees of £8,000

Total upfront costs:  £13,000

Interest only mortgage:

• SMI (Support for Mortgage Interest) loan repaid from the sale of the homeowner’s share of the property
• Any shortfall is written off

Monthly costs example

HA Rent:                 £687pcm

HA Service charge:  £100pcm

Total:                     £787pcm

(paid by UC / Housing Benefit)

Interest only SMPD Mortgage:     £415pcm

SMI Support:                               £290pcm

Cost to homeowner:                            £125pcm

Key Criteria

• Must be at least 18 years old – no upper age limit
• PIP daily living – preferably enhanced
• UC with LCWRA element
• Have a deposit and buying costs
• Be able to make the monthly contribution from benefits
• Maximum mortgage is £100,000
• If your young person does not have the mental capacity to understand this process and make decision you will need to apply for a Court of Protection Deputyship
• Possibly an LPA

How do the new benefits rules affect affordability?

The affordability of this option is based on a young person being in receipt of:

• PIP enhanced rate at £110 per week
• UC basic rate at £400 pcm
• UC LCWRA rate at £423 pcm

For a young person over 25 in receipt of all this their monthly income is around £1300.

Affordability checks will help you work out if your young person can afford to buy a share of a property.

This might not be financially viable if:

• They receive the standard rate of PIP (around £73 per week)
• They don’t receive the LCWRA element of UC
• Or will only receive the new rate from April 2026 – £200pcm

Families cannot contribute to the shortfall – if there is one – but they may be able to help in other ways, eg larger deposit

Affordability is based entirely on the young person’s income because it is virtually guaranteed – top ups from family might not be sustainable which would then affect a young person’s security in their home

The rental part will be based on the social housing rental rate which should mean that it is affordable with the housing element of UC.

A young person needs to be able to pay their bills – gas, electric, insurance, etc

Costs for maintenance

If a young person has earnings which reduce their benefits they can remain in their home as long as they can make up the payments from their earnings.

 

Lived Experiences

I will be adding an addition article in the next couple of weeks with summaries of family live experiences.

I will add a link to the next Bright Futures bulletin with a direct link to the article but it will be in the Independent Living category on the Information Hub.