Independent Living and Housing

Deciding to leave home and live independently is a big decision.

Although you'll have more freedom, you'll also have new responsibilities.

If you do feel ready to move out then the best way to do so is after careful thought and planning. Find out what your options are and ask for advice before making any decisions. You can get advice from trusted adults and from support services in Southwark.

If you'd like more information on leaving home, you can read the Leaving Home Booklet or the housing guide on Learning Disability England's website.

More information on leaving home as a young person in Southwark is available from Housing Support Services

If you are feeling unsafe at home and would like information and support, 'The Hide Out' can help, click here. 

We would recommend speaking to your friends, family and local support services for advice so that you can make informed choices about your future!

See below for more information on common issues and questions about independent living.

What is supported housing?

Supported housing is a form of housing that combines support services and accommodation. This form of housing is aimed to help people who are vulnerable or may have a disability to live independently with support available if needed. There are different types of supported housing to help people with different levels of needs to live independently.
Its important to be aware of the options available when making the decision of what sort of accommodation is right for you. This can be done by understanding the different types of supported accommodations available.

• Support in your home
• Supported accommodation and group
• Temporary supported accommodation

Getting needs assessed

The most important part of the of seeing if you are eligible for supported accomodation is to be needs assessed. Southwark social services department are who carry out the assessment of your care and support needs if you are finding it difficult to manage at home.

Care and support assessments

A needs assessment will review your personal circumstances. The purpose of the assessment is to identify any care and support needs you have.

The assessment is the first stage in the process of getting care and support services provided. The next stage is to decide whether you are eligible for any help

Who can get a care and support assessment?

Anyone who may need care and support can get an assessment.
You might need support because of:

• old age
• physical or learning disabilities
• mental health problems
• chronic illness
• drug or alcohol dependency

Asking for a care and support assessment

You can also ask your GP to make a referral for an assessment. If you are in hospital, you can ask the hospital social work team to request an assessment.
Your local council's social services department must also carry out an assessment if they become aware that you may be in need of services, even if no formal request has been made. You might be referred by another part of the council, for example the housing department.

What happens at the care and support assessment?

Usually the assessment of your care and support needs is carried out face-to-face with your social worker. It could be carried over the phone or online if you agree to it.
The assessment looks into your needs, what kind of help you would like and finds out what you can and cannot do for yourself.

Social services may speak to your doctor, occupational therapist or other medical professionals, if you agree to this.

If the council says you are not entitled to care and support services
Social services may decide that you are not entitled to care and support services because your identified needs are not high enough or are already being adequately met by friends or family.

Social services should give you:

• a written decision containing reasons
• information about how to challenge their decision
• advice and information about other sources of support
• Care and support services: help and advice

Please visit our Social Care page for details of contacts.

Click here for the Shelter Directory to find an advice centre near you.

How can we help?

Our handyperson team can help with small repairs or adaptions around the home.

To access this service you must be either aged 60 or over, or have a disability (no age limit). You must also live in Southwark. We can help if you’re a home owner, council tenant, renting privately, or a housing association tenant.

The amount you pay depends on your personal circumstances.

What we can do for you?

• Moving furniture
• Hanging or taking down curtains
• Taping down carpets and electrical leads
• Changing lightbulbs
• Putting up shelves
• Reglazing small windows
• Fixing minor plumbing or electrical faults
• Bleeding radiators
• Fixing draught excluders

Types of jobs that a handyperson can't help with:

• gas servicing

• major building work

• electrical work

• furniture removals

• home cleaning such as window cleaning

If you're a council tenant or housing association tenant

If the repair you're requesting is part of your tenancy agreement, you should contact your respective repairs team.

How much we charge

If you’re receiving housing benefits, income support, council tax benefits, pension credit, disability living allowance or attendance allowance, we charge £22 per hour, plus material costs.

If you’re not receiving benefits, we charge £44 for the first hour, and each additional hour is £33, plus materials costs.

Other help you can get

• Housing adaptations works closely with occupational therapists who assess council tenant needs and recommend necessary adaptations to your home
• Home Improvement Agency (HIA) offers a service to older and disabled homeowners and private tenants who want to repair or adapt their homes

Contact

Contact us by phoning 020 7525 1863 during office hours, or email the handyperson team

Finding yourself with nowhere to live or the risk of being made homeless is both frightening and stressful. Southwark Council wants to help you by preventing homelessness from occurring wherever possible so that you can avoid the worry of this difficult situation.

While Southwark Council tries to help everybody who approaches with homelessness, however sometimes there isn't enough resources available to provide temporary or emergency accommodation.  For further information, visit the Southwark Council website.

For more information about your rights and our responsibilities or for independent advice see the Shelter website.

Are you intentionally homeless?

What 'intentionally homeless' means: being intentionally homeless means that you are homeless because you left an accommodation that you could have stayed in. If your last home was temporary or short-term, the council looks into the reasons you left your last 'settled home'.

When deciding if you are or aren't intentionally homeless, the council must consider the reasons you became homeless. It's up to the council to prove that you became homeless intentionally and that:

• You did, or failed to do, something that caused you to leave your home

• The act, or failure to act, was deliberate or you were aware of what was going on

• It was reasonable for you to continue living in your accommodation

You have the right to explain your actions to the council in relation to your housing situation.

Some examples of making yourself intentionally homeless includes:

• Not paying your rent when you could have - however not being able to pay your mortgage because of significant financial difficulties that were out of your control i.e illness and redundancy will not be considered as intentional. 

• Evicted because of antisocial behaviour

• You could have stayed in your accommodation

When you are not intentionally homeless?

If you acted in good faith or weren't aware of something that caused you to become homeless, the council should accept that it's not intentional.

For example if:

• you left your accommodation because you didn't know you had a right to stay, for example you left your home because your landlord gave you notice even though you could have stayed until a possession order was issued

• you left your home because of misleading advice

• someone you live with did or didn't do something, for example a family member you live with didn't pay the rent but they told you they had

If the council decides you are intentionally homeless

If the council decides that you intentionally caused your homelessness, it only has a duty to provide you with short-term accommodation, usually for 28 days.

For more information visit Shelter's website.

If the council decides you're not intentionally homeless

If the council decides that you are not intentionally homeless, it probably has a duty to provide you with long-term accommodation. Contact Southwark Housing for advice.

Home Improvement Agency

We provide repairs/renovations for owner occupiers and private tenants with repair responsibilities as well as disabled adaptations for owner occupiers, private tenants and housing association tenants,

Who is the service for?

Over 60’s, people of any age in receipt of a disability benefit.

Criteria for access to service

People can refer themselves or via occupational therapy.

Do you need to pay for this service?

The repairs, renovations and adaptations are provided by way of a grant. All grants are means tested. However, people on passporting benefits automatically qualify.

Fees do apply for the service but this is an allowable expense on the grants. Some people may have to make a financial contribution.

For more information please call:  0207 525 1873

Homesearch Bidding Support

Citizens Advice Southwark offer Homesearch Bidding Support sessions which are held every Thursday 10am-1pm for those who cannot use or access computers and who need support in registering for Homesearch or bidding on properties. The sessions provide help with:

• Registering for Homesearch

• Online bidding

• Getting a My Southwark account

This is held at:

Bells Garden (SGTO) Community Centre,
Buller Close,
Peckham SE15 6UJ

Please note Citizens Advice Southwark are unable to provide specific housing advice for children and young people with Special Education Needs or Disabilities (SEND). For such advice, please contact:
Tel: Southwark Housing Options on 020 7525 5950
Email: housing.options@southwark.gov.uk

If you need support completing the Housing Options assessment/registering with Homesearch, please contact Southwark Citizens Advice Bureau.