Sheltered housing

Sheltered Housing offers a secure, independent lifestyle with support and activities available when you require. Sheltered housing is not a residential or care home, but is specially designed for couples and individuals aged 60 and over (some schemes take younger people) who need a certain level of support but want a home of their own.

There are 32 sheltered housing schemes in Tower Hamlets. They are managed by a number of different housing providers. See here (insert link to property summary section) for summary tables of all schemes.

Most have a Sheltered Housing Officer or Scheme Manager who provides support to tenants Monday to Friday during working hours. Some schemes have Residential Managers who live on site and are available 24-hours in the event of an emergency. Sheltered managers do not provide personal care, shopping, cleaning or cooking.

Communal areas and activities are used only on a voluntary basis. All sheltered flats are self-contained with their own kitchen, bathroom and living area. Residents can choose to be as active as they wish. Sheltered housing allows you to lead a private life with the option of participating at the level you choose.

Support by the scheme manager includes:

• daily visits to ensure your welfare
• assessment of your support needs upon arrival with reviews at later dates
• maintenance of the building and grounds
• organisation of activities
• help with health appointments, benefits, social networks.

Advantages of sheltered housing include:

• purpose built living for people aged 60 and over
• a secure and independent flat of your own with secure tenancy
• a secure common entrance to the scheme, and your own front door to your flat
• communal areas
• regular social activities
• support through a scheme manager during business hours
• Care Alarm fitted in your flat for emergency help when the manager is not there.

Home Ownership and Sheltered Housing

If you own or part-own a residential property you are still allowed to apply for Sheltered Housing. You do not have to sell your property. You will still have to apply to the Common Housing Register ( insert link to lettings pages in housing) and you will still have to undertake the Needs Assessment for Sheltered Housing (see below). Normally successful applicants to the Register, who own or part-own a residential property, are placed in Community Group 4 ( insert link to lettings pages in housing) unless you are awarded an extenuating health priority ( insert link to lettings pages in housing) which entitles you to community Group 2.

Supporting People, sheltered housing & support charges

Supporting People also fund part or full warden costs in sheltered housing. People living in sheltered housing may have to pay their own support costs unless they are receiving housing benefit, income support or pension credit.

If you don’t receive one or both of these benefits you can choose to pay the full support charge, or you can apply to the Council for a Supporting People subsidy. A financial assessment will be required to determine your eligibility.

More detailed information is provided in the brochure Support Charges in long-term Supporting People services. See below for details.

See here for more information on Supporting People (insert link to their website and SP pages on website)

Needs assessment for Sheltered Housing

The Council’s Housing Department has developed a needs assessment for sheltered housing. It started in the summer of 2005. Please note you will still need to apply to the Common Housing Register if you are not already on it ( insert link to lettings pages in housing).

This means that if you apply for sheltered housing through the Council’s Choice Based Lettings’ system, you will be asked to undertake this assessment. You can refuse but unfortunately you will not be offered sheltered housing through the Choice Based Lettings process without it.

This process assesses suitability for sheltered housing based on agreed criteria. The Client Support Officer who will assess you will look at a number of issues regarding your support needs. The criteria for this type of support are:

1. Aged 60 or over; and
2. physically or emotionally frail due to ill health, disability or for medical reasons; and
3. in housing need.

Aim

The aim of this assessment is to ensure that sheltered properties are let to people who need them. Once assessed by a Client Support Officer, a recommendation regarding your suitability for sheltered housing will be made, and either agreed or not agreed by management. You have a right to appeal against any decision made.

If you are assessed as suitable for sheltered accommodation

If you are assessed as suitable for sheltered accommodation you will be able to start bidding for sheltered properties once they are advertised. You can also continue to bid for general needs properties if you choose. The Client Support Team ( insert link to A-Z) will support you through the process of bidding for properties.

If you are assessed not to be suitable for sheltered housing

If this happens, the assessing officer will refer you on to other services, discuss other housing options and generally address any issues that arose from the assessment. If you are not eligible for sheltered there are other options available to you:

• Floating Support is an alternative to moving ( insert link to vulnerable and needing housing related support section above)
• grants for adaptations to your home if you are disabled ( insert link to grants section above)
• help with minor repairs from Age Concern’s Handyperson project ( insert link to www.acth.org.uk)
• advice about keeping your home warm ( link to keeping your home warm section above)
• Tower Hamlets Care Alarm ( link to care alarm section above)

This assessment is used for all older people applying for council housing, regardless of their existing tenancy, as a specialist housing assessment to determine housing (and housing related) needs and enable people to get access to the right services for them. It compliments the Single Assessment Process currently being rolled out across the health and social service sectors in the borough ( link to SAP section above)

You may decide after the assessment that you do not want to go into sheltered accommodation. In this case you are not obliged to bid for sheltered properties.

If you feel you would benefit from this assessment, regardless of whether you want to move to sheltered housing, please contact the Client Support Team.

Client Support Team (Lettings) ( link to A-Z)
Addresses A-F 020 7364 0204/5

Addresses G-P 020 7364 0206/0279

Addresses Q-Z 020 7364 0209/0361

Exemptions

Please note there are a number of sheltered housing providers who fill some of their empty properties from their own waiting lists and others who fill all their empty properties from their own waiting lists. The Council expects all sheltered providers, who receive the Council’s Supporting People funding, to have an assessment process in place. This will usually be an assessment process as described above or something similar. For such homes that are filled through the provider’s own waitlists, providers will use their own eligibility process. See under the How to apply heading in the listings for details on how to apply to each scheme.

Housing Choice and Sheltered

The Council is in the process of implementing Housing Choice ( link to housing choice pages in housing section). Unlike other housing providers, Councils cannot borrow money to implement the Government’s Decent Homes Standard by 2010. Borrowing allows housing providers to offer new investment to estates that choose to transfer to them. The transfer process involves various stages of consultation with residents, followed by a resident vote.

It is a condition of Housing Choice that all housing providers wanting to participate must become a partner landlord with the Council and sign up to the Common Lettings Policy.

On 14th. November, 2005 all (nine) Council owned sheltered schemes transferred to BGVPHA. Enquiries should be directed to BGVPHA (contact details page 101).

Care Alarm and Sheltered Housing

Tower Hamlets Care Alarm provides 24-hour emergency contact with dedicated support staff. More information is available here ( insert link to care alarm section above, under keeping safe in your home)

Most sheltered housing schemes have Tower Hamlets Care Alarm fitted in each flat. The cost of this is usually included in the rent, but the sheltered provider can confirm this. Care Alarm can be used by residents when the scheme manager is not on duty, usually during the evenings and weekends. Some schemes use a different provider.

The scheme listings explain which service is used. Contact the scheme if you have more questions about this issue.