Housing Options Scotland’s Making Moves service offers housing advice to young disabled people looking to live independently for the first time. In order to meet the needs of young people and their caregivers, we work a little differently. We take extra time to plan and make sure a young person is prepared and knows what to expect from their first independent home, and provide information and advice that is specifically tailored to young people. This roundup of stories highlights the different ways we help and some of the different options that can be explored.
Charlie’s parents contacted us when they were 17, as they were starting to think about the possibility living independently once they turned 18. Charlie has specific physical access and care needs that needed to be taken into account. The family hoped to be able to buy something with a joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage, split between Charlie and their parents. When Charlie turned 18, we were able to connect them with a financial advisor who was able to secure a mortgage for them. They put in an offer on a house which was accepted.
“We really would have been lost without Housing Options advice and services and without Ian so I really want to say a huge thank you. I will let you know when we have a completion date for the house but it is hugely life changing for Charlie and our family and they are incredibly excited to be moving into their own property!”
Rob and Jamie are both disabled young people who came to us separately, looking for advice on their options for living independently for the first time. Rob and his family came to us first, and we were able to guide Rob through the process to eventually, through ownership, move into a fully accessible home of his own. Jamie then came to us a few months after we closed Rob’s case. Jamie’s situation was similar to Rob’s in many ways, including the local authority he wanted to move into, and they had similar needs in terms of both access and communication. In addition to providing our usual brokerage service, we were able to connect Rob and Jamie and their families to provide peer to peer support. Rob and his family were able to share their personal, first-hand experiences with Jamie and his parents to help them to navigate the process. Jamie is still looking for his first home, but hearing from someone in a similar situation as him has given him hope.
Ashley and her mum got in touch with Housing Options Scotland looking for advice on a more complicated issue. They both currently live in a fully accessible home, which Ashley’s mum owns. Ashley is ready to live alone, but feels safe and secure in her childhood home. Ashley’s mum is considering moving out of the property into another with her partner. They are hoping that Ashley may be able to rent the property from her mum, paying for it with housing benefit. This poses complications, as it would, under normal circumstances, be viewed as a “contrived tenancy”. We, with the help of a benefits adviser, are supporting them to explore this as an option. Ashley’s mum needs to register a commercial landlord in order for this to work, and it will require dialogue with the local authority, which we are offering our support with.
Finally, one of our brokers is working with a group of families, who are exploring the possibility of establishing a cooperative for their respective disabled children. Our broker met with the parents and initially gave a talk to them about the housing options available in Scotland. We are now supporting them to engage in discussions with a variety of housing providers, while simultaneously supporting each individual family to explore all the options available to them. This is a case that could take years to come to fruition, but our casework model offers our support for as long as our clients need us.