On 23 December, one of our experienced supported living care providers got in touch with an urgent request.
She’d been asked to take over the care of a young man with complex learning disabilities whose current placement had broken down. He was living in a shared house and it wasn’t working for him – he needed a new home urgently, ideally within a few days. With Christmas so close, we warned her that we may struggle to make this happen. However, by searching our portal she found a suitable property: a detached home in the right area.
We contacted the property owners and luckily the refurbishment had just been finished and the property had been cleaned – it was ready to go. This was the property owner’s first foray into supported living, so one of the The Gateway’s founders, Mark Bowen, spent Christmas Eve on the phone explaining the model. The property owner proved to be very flexible and supportive and agreed to a viewing for 7pm that same day.
The care provider was delighted with the property and agreed to take it on a 3-year lease, paying market rent. On Boxing Day, Mark provided further support to facilitate the negotiation and the lease terms were agreed.
By sacrificing their own Christmases, the care team were able to get the property ready quickly, moving in the young man's furniture and personal effects so he would feel as settled as possible in his new surroundings. And it worked. He moved in and we’re told he’s very happy in his new home. In fact, we understand he’d always dreamed of living in a red-brick house and, as luck would have it, this property is indeed red brick, so he’s over the moon.
He’s settled in now and his family are thrilled at the positive change in his mood – they’ve expressed just how much happier he is and that he’s now able to join in activities that might have felt too much in the past.
This clearly demonstrates that, in supported living, combining the correct care team with a good home can make a dramatic difference to an individual's quality of life.
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By listing properties on our specialist portal, the owner was able to find a care provider to take his properties on a long lease
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