Our learning disabled adult son wants his own place, and needs a ot of support. We are ageing and he will likely outlive us. He has moderate/severe learning disability and will need support for most things from cooking to transport to cleaning., but can manage on his own for short periods.
The ideal place to live would be some kind of supported living accommodation with staff on hand to help with all the basics. sw said he is eligible for shared supported living but it could be many years wait. We know of parents with similar adult children still waiting more than 5 years.
We know our soncannot claim housing element whilst living with us, but that’s ok as we support him- harder since retirement. Ill health ( we both have health issues) has speeded the need to get our son settled for the future. We use his PIP to pay for 1 day of support a week and of course provide the rest ourselves.
We have seen a little flat that might be suitable. It’s just in a different area so are awaiting assessment for carer support ( possibleDP a separate issue). We understand the maximum housing element for an adult under 35 ( already getting UC) is a set amount towards a single room in a shared house- approx half the actual current rental of a room locally, so we would have to pay the rest for him. I’ve heard UC assume some of the rent is for service charges ( in a flat) such as repairs and ground maintenance and this will be taken off the single person allowance. I’m trying to work out what he might be entitled to, if anything.
I need to work out what part of the actual rental we need to try and get our son to pay and what part we will be left with- to see if renting a small flat is possible. The complication is also that until he is settled and support organised we will need to provide it - including taking it in turns at first to sleep over.
Frankly it’s easier to carry on as we do now with our son in the same house!
Last letters become first - March 26
WORD ASSOCIATION - 9th May 2026
