Opportunities and challenges for housing
SCLD has published a new report exploring people with learning disabilities’ experience of housing in Scotland.
Ipsos MORI undertook the study which looked at the current housing landscape for people with learning disabilities in Scotland with a focus on the contribution housing can make to improving outcomes for people with learning disabilities. The report was funded by the Scottish Government and launched by the Minister for Mental Health, Maureen Watt MSP on Tuesday 31st October 2017.
A house is much more than bricks and mortar. It provides people with a sense of place and belonging and is the starting point from which people can engage and participate in their local community and wider society. Housing can also contributes to better health outcomes and getting it right has potential to narrow inequalities.
The report highlights the role housing plays in helping people with learning disabilities live longer healthier lives, participate fully in all aspects of society and prosper as individuals. However, it also finds that people with learning disabilities are not always empowered to understand their options or make informed choices about where they live, who they live with and the type of support they receive.
While the report identifies a number of opportunities for change including the devolution of supported housing funding and the role of housing within health and social care integration, it warns that challenges including a lack of housing supply, difficulties accessing advice and funding limitations could present barriers to achieving outcomes for people with learning disabilities.
The study was informed by interviews with people with learning disabilities and included input from The Keys to Life Expert Group. It also drew on qualitative interviews with professional stakeholders in three local authorities areas: Glasgow, Aberdeenshire and Stirling. They included local authority managers, national and local providers of supported housing and housing support and learning disability team managers.
SCLD now intends to initiate a national conversation on how to achieve better housing related outcomes for people with learning disabilities and hopes to bring a range of stakeholders together from across Scotland tasked with taking forward the report’s recommendations.
Key Recommendations and findings
Full report
Improving outcomes for people with learning disabilities: Opportunities and challenges for housing
Easy read summary
Easy Read Summary: Improving outcomes for people with learning disabilities
Improving Outcomes 84pp
To find out more about the report or if you have any questions, please contact Lorne Berkley, Policy Development Officer, at lorne.b@scld.co.uk or by calling SCLD on 0141 248 3733.
