Nov 7, 2024, Echo: Merseyside set for hundreds of new homes for people with learning disabilities and autism
NW England
It's hoped the planned homes will help people with learning disabilities and/or autism live independently
Sefton Council has committed to developing hundreds of new supported housing units for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to facilitate independent living with personalised care. Over the next 10 years, it is estimated Cheshire and Merseyside will need 1,700 additional supported housing dwellings and 400 general needs homes to meet the housing needs of people with learning disabilities and/or Autism.
Sefton Council's cabinet convened at Southport Town Hall earlier today where elected members were asked to approve the Cheshire and Merseyside Learning Disability and Autism Housing Strategy.
The recommendation was informed by a 2022 report published by Cheshire and Merseyside Association of Directors of Adult Social Services Commissioners who were tasked with forecasting the numbers of adults with learning disabilities and autism who may require care with accommodation as an alternative to acute based hospital care.
In 2023, Cheshire and Merseyside Commissioners used the data from the report to assess need across all of Merseyside's local authority areas which showed Sefton requires an additional 246 Supported Living units by 2033 to meet demographic demand and 16 general needs properties.
The report also predicts the number of adults with severe or moderate learning disabilities living in Sefton will be 1,072 by 2035. The analysis also suggests the number of adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders will be 2,543 in Sefton over the same period.
The strategy is a part of the national 'Transforming Care' programme led by NHS England which aims to improve health and care services so that more people with learning disabilities and/or autism can live in the community and have the same opportunities as anyone else.
Shaping the policy framework, Sefton Council's 2019/20 Market Position Statement committed the local authority to providing more supported housing and stated: "All existing and new accommodation needs to reflect the increasing incidence of physical disability and mobility difficulties amongst those with Learning Disabilities and appropriate sensory adaptations undertaken for individuals with Autism. . . .
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