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What supported living means for our tenants
We all need somewhere to call home. It’s a need we all share. But if you have a learning disability or autism it can be much harder to find a place to call yours – somewhere you can live independently, with all the support you need to feel part of a community too. This is why supported housing is so important. But how does supported housing help those with learning disabilities or autism? Zetetick tenants, Nathan and Rosie, share their stories.
Nathan’s story
Nathan is a young man with high functioning autism who used to live at home with his family in Croydon. He wanted his own place and greater independence but had struggled to find what he needed.
That’s where Zetetick could help. Working with a private landlord in Brighton, we found Nathan his own flat where he’s now been living for three years with support from carers to make sure he’s thriving. Having his own space has given Nathan the freedom and confidence to live his own life. He’s recently graduated with a degree in digital illustration. His friends and family (and us!) are blown away by his achievements.
“I am comfortable and happy with the environment I am living in right now,” says Nathan. “Having my own space allows me to be a creative person.”
Zetetick rents flats and houses from private landlords to create homes for people with learning disabilities and autism. The chance to change the lives of people like Nathan through supported housing is one of the main reasons landlords give for wanting to work with us, along with the financial benefits. Landlords value our 24/7 maintenance and support team too, as it means they know their property is in safe hands.
As one of our landlords, Amer Hameed, told us: “We like seeing our property being used for supported living and are happy to see it providing good quality and safe housing for people with disabilities.”
Rosie’s story
Rosie’s story shows how difficult it can be to find a home of your own when you have complex needs. She has a learning disability and challenging behaviour and spent years in a semi-secure mental health unit far from her family, often locked in a tiny room for most of the day with no contact with the outside world. Life in a locked ward was no life at all.
However, thanks to Zetetick and the support of the local authority and care providers, Rosie was able to move to a room in a house in London that Zetetick rented from a private landlord. There she was able to receive all the care she needed and lead the sort of ordinary life in a local community that most of us take for granted. She was nearer her family too, so could see them much more often.
Supported housing is vital for bringing people closer to family
Now, over ten years later, Rosie’s life has been transformed. The care package is essential – the skilled staff who work closely with Rosie every day to meet her needs. But without the supported housing provided by Zetetick and the private landlord, the transformation in Rosie’s life would have been impossible.
Renting to a housing charity adds value and fulfilment
Zetetick currently rents over one hundred properties from private landlords in London and the South East, but every week we hear of more people like Nathan and Rosie who need our support to lead independent, fulfilling lives.
We are currently looking for flats or larger houses for several people to share. If you have a property to let, or know a landlord who does, why not find out more about the benefits of working with Zetetick to give someone with a learning disability or autism a life-changing home.
Rental income is fully guaranteed for the duration of the tenancy. And thanks to Zetetick’s experienced property management team, the property will always be maintained and returned to the landlord in as good or better condition than when the tenancy began.
But perhaps the last word should go to one of our landlords, Terry Smith, who lets two properties to Zetetick and has been working with us for over ten years. “Many landlords will not have considered this course of action but on my visits to both properties, which is not often as it is not necessary, I have witnessed contentment from the tenants which they otherwise may never experience. And this has added a kind of value to my life as well!”
To find out more about letting your property through Zetetick for supported housing in London and the South East, get in touch.
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