Starts at Home Day 2019

On Friday 30th August, we will be celebrating Starts at Home Day – an annual spotlight on the vital difference supported housing makes to thousands of people daily.  

Aspire Housing and the Starts at Home campaign are committed to: 

• Ensuring that people who need extra support will always have a home that meets their needs  

• Helping people to live independently, knowing support is there when they need it 

The Starts at Home campaign aims to highlight the unique benefits of supported housing to show why it is so important to individuals and society. Over 400,000 people live in supported accommodation, including sheltered accommodation, refuges for women fleeing domestic violence, shelters and supported homes for those at risk of homelessness, and supported housing for vulnerable young people and adults with disabilities.  

Our Starts at Home celebrations will take place at many of our Community Living Schemes in the borough.

Patricia Roberts our Service Manager, Older Persons tells us why she is proud to work in supported housing.

I had just left a meeting when my phone started to ring, it was the Extra Care Village where my Nan and Grandad live.

Suddenly I had this overriding sense of dread in the pit of my stomach.

“Trish, it’s the care team. Please don’t worry but your Nan has had a fall and an ambulance is on the way.”

We later found out Nan had broken her right ankle in two places and would require an operation.

  Nan and Grandad (Jessie and David) are from Walsall and have been married for over 60 years. Grandad was a long-distance lorry driver and keen painter and decorator. Nan stayed at home to look after their eight children and later worked in day centres helping older people.

Three months earlier I had a conversation with them about the benefits of Extra Care as the bungalow they lived in no longer met their needs. After lots of consideration, Nan and Grandad made the decision to leave and, had they not moved, I’m not sure how either would have coped.

You see, it’s been a month now since Nan was admitted to hospital following her fall. It’s a long time to be apart when you’ve been together for so long. Nan has undergone an operation on her ankle and received lots of support in hospital, but what about my Grandad? Who was supporting him?

Ever since they moved into the Extra Care Village they’ve felt part of a community and had the opportunity to join in with activities, this has helped Grandad to cope with being on his own. Usually Nan cooks the meals, but Grandad hasn’t gone without as he can have a warm meal in the restaurant rather than relying on family to pop in after work. Care staff drop in during the day to say hello, not because they must, but because they want to, because they care!

You see it’s the small things that make such a difference to the lives of people and to the family who may work or live far away or have a young family themselves to tend to.  When we visit, we now get to spend quality time together.

Nan is recovering well and will soon be returning home, well to her holiday home as she describes it!

Why am I proud to work in supported housing? Why wouldn’t I be?

You can read more about people who’ve been helped by supported housing here.