Supported Accommodation in Bedford

BSH Provides High-Quality Supported Accommodation in Bedford

Most people living in the UK take for granted their ability to make choices about where they live, who they live with and under what conditions. Supported accommodation exists to help people who experience more difficulty in making those choices. This may be because of a mental health condition, or a learning disability. Often it’s the result of behavioural problems or a failure to engage with local services.

At Bedfordshire Supported Housing we think the provision of a supportive and nurturing environment is essential to everyone’s well-being. This is what we aim to achieve for all our residents. Supported accommodation is the ideal option for people who have been in 24 hour residential care, or for those who require a medium level of community-based support in order to live semi-independently.

BSH Supported Accommodation

There’s currently a severe shortage of supported accommodation in Bedfordshire, and BHS is delighted to be able to offer 27 spaces. Each one represents an opportunity for someone to live safely, and semi-independently in a stable environment. Our residents begin to develop new skills, define their individual goals, and experience ongoing tailored support from trained professionals.

Each of our residents lives in a house shared with 5-10 other people, dependent on the size of the property. Every tenant has their own partially self-contained unit and is expected to abide by the community guidelines. There is a 24 hour on-call service and Night Wardens are appointed to maintain everyone’s safety and security overnight. All our accommodation adheres to The ‘Standards in the Private Rented Sector’ guidelines.

How are Residents in Supported Accommodation Cared For?

Our aim for all our residents in supported accommodation in Bedford is to equip them further with the skills they need to integrate with the wider community. This will be different for everyone, as will the goals that we work to. Our first step with residents is to create a package of support, therefore, which is based on their specific needs. The hours allocated will depend on the level of care required in each case.

All the care provided by BSH is person-centred. Everything we provide is formulated and risk assessed with our residents. The responsibility for achieving personal and social goals is shared, therefore. The interventions that we agree with our residents fall into a number of different categories:

• Personal Health. Many of our residents are on a range of medications. We support them in their management of medication, and in dealing with side-effects. We can help residents to monitor their symptoms and develop strategies for managing them.
• Social Access. Many residents want to access social resources and we support them in doing so. This may involve accompanying them to social events, helping them to access GP services, or developing confidence on public transport.
• Employability. For many residents this begins with improving domestic skills such as laundry, cleaning, paying bills, shopping and cooking. Specialist rehabilitation workers provide assessment and support for employment-seeking skills.

Accessing BSH Supported Housing in Bedford

We’re always happy to talk about our supported accommodation if you want to know more about our services. Referrals to this service are made via the usual routes of local CMHTs and other teams in secondary mental health and learning disability services including the use of our simple referral form.

If you would like to know more about Bedfordshire Supported Housing, or specifically the supported accommodation we offer in Bedford, call us on 01234 841808