Develop the infrastructure we need.
Develop, plan and deliver infrastructure, communities and housing so that people can live in a place they can feel welcome, safe and at home.
- Reducing the risk of people being sent away because of the lack of available accommodation.
- Helping people plan and prepare for transition into adulthood, with the security of knowing they have options available closer to home.
- Ensuring the suitability, accessibility and affordability of housing options for people, including adaptations to family homes, new social housing, support for shared lives or other options.
- A housing plan should be produced for every person from the age of 14, to allow for effective transition to adult services, in line with current legislation. In addition, people should have the right to an annual review of their needs when living at home to ensure they and their carers have the right support. If this right already exists and is welcomed by parents/carers, work needs to take place to ensure effective action on these rights.
- There should be a housing strategy (in alignment with health and social care revenue plans) to address the growing gap between identified housing needs and planned housing for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
- Social housing and community development strategies need to incorporate guidance to ensure people’s needs are met in a whole range of ways from homes to day opportunities, short-term care, and other community facilities.
- People with learning disabilities and autistic people who are in long-term institutions should be counted in local authority homelessness statistics, so their housing remains a priority.
Research and Reports
Quality and Costs of Community-Based Residential Supports, Village Communities, and Residential Campuses in the United Kingdom: This article finds significantly better quality of life and quality of care in small-scale community housing, more than residential campuses. In a landmark UK study comparing 86 people in village communities, 133 in residential campuses, and 281 in dispersed community schemes, adjusted costs for dispersed housing were ~15% higher than residential campuses and ~20% higher than village communities; despite higher costs, community supports outperformed campuses on quality of care and quality of life.
Empowering People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: the importance of community living: This synthesised European evidence shows institutional settings are associated with inactivity, disempowerment and isolation, whereas small‑scale community settings deliver better life outcomes; they recommend reallocating funds from institutions into community support as a cost‑effective strategy. On purely financial cost per person, early UK studies found community supports could be ~15–20% more expensive than campuses—but with better outcomes.
Deinstitutionalisation and community living – outcomes and costs: report of a European Study: This study, bringing together the information on the number of people in 28 European countries, concluded that replacing institutions with community‑based services is justified on economic and outcome grounds, and laid out how to reallocate funds to make the transition cost‑effective.
Housing for Complex Needs: This report considered how Scotland could address similar challenges faced in Wales, particularly around bringing people home. It concluded that change needed is structural, resource-based and requiring collaborative working – identifying many of the same challenges that we have identified at the Good Life Alliance.
Gofyn 2: Seilwaith
Datblygu’r seilwaith rydym ni ei angen.
Datblygu, cynllunio a darparu seilwaith, cymunedau a thai fel y gall pobl fyw mewn lle lleol y gallant deimlo croeso, teimlo’n ddiogel a theimlo’n gartrefol.
- Lleihau’r risg o bobl yn cael eu hanfon i ffwrdd oherwydd y diffyg llety sydd ar gael.
- Helpu pobl i gynllunio a pharatoi ar gyfer pontio i fod yn oedolion, gyda’r sicrwydd o wybod bod ganddynt opsiynau ar gael yn agosach at adref.
- Sicrhau addasrwydd, hygyrchedd a fforddiadwyedd opsiynau tai i bobl, gan gynnwys addasiadau i gartrefi teuluol, tai cymdeithasol newydd, cymorth ar gyfer bywydau a rennir neu opsiynau eraill.
- Dylid cynhyrchu cynllun tai ar gyfer pob person o 14 mlwydd oed, er mwyn caniatáu pontio’n effeithiol i wasanaethau oedolion, yn unol â’r ddeddfwriaeth gyfredol. Yn ogystal, dylai pobl gael yr hawl i adolygiad blynyddol o’u hanghenion wrth fyw gartref i sicrhau eu bod nhw a’u gofalwyr yn cael y gefnogaeth gywir. Os yw’r hawl hon eisoes yn bodoli ac yn cael ei groesawu gan rieni/gofalwyr, mae angen gwneud gwaith i sicrhau gweithredu effeithiol ar yr hawliau hyn.
- Dylai fod strategaeth dai (yn unol â chynlluniau refeniw iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol) i fynd i’r afael â’r bwlch cynyddol rhwng anghenion tai a nodwyd a thai wedi’u cynllunio ar gyfer pobl ag anableddau dysgu a phobl awtistig.
- Mae angen i strategaethau tai cymdeithasol a datblygu cymunedol ymgorffori canllawiau i sicrhau bod anghenion pobl yn cael eu diwallu mewn ystod eang o ffyrdd o gartrefi i gyfleoedd dydd, gofal tymor byr, a chyfleusterau cymunedol eraill.
- Dylid cyfrif pobl ag anableddau dysgu a phobl awtistig sydd mewn sefydliadau hirdymor mewn ystadegau digartrefedd awdurdodau lleol, felly mae eu sefyllfa tai yn parhau i fod yn flaenoriaeth.