Housing support

This content applies to England only.

Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. This page applies to England only. Get advice relating to Scotland

Sometimes, people may need a little help with everyday activities at home. This is known as housing support.

What is housing support?

Housing support is help that is provided to enable someone to manage on a day-to-day basis while they are living in their own home.

It can include things like:

• help with budgeting and paying bills
• planning meals and shopping
• emotional support
• help to pursue social or leisure interests.

Who provides support?

Support is usually provided by a support worker, or a team of support workers, who will visit you in your home. Some types of support worker will be able to go with you to appointments or on shopping trips and support you at social events.

Some housing associations have support teams. You do not always have to be a tenant of the housing association to receive support from their support team.

There are also support teams who do not have a connection with housing providers who will support you in your own home.

Who is housing support for?

Housing support is suitable for a variety of people with low-level support needs. For example, you may want housing support if you:

• have a learning disability
• have a mental health issue
• have a sensory impairment or physical disability
• are a young person in their first tenancy
• are a young single parent
• are moving into a tenancy after being homeless
• are at risk of becoming homeless
• have recently been discharged from prison
• have drug or alcohol dependency issues.

You can get housing support if you live alone or share your house with other people. You could be living in a flat, a house, a hostel or sheltered housing.

How much support would I get?

The number and length of visits you have from your support worker will vary according to the level of support that you require. Some people only need a couple of short visits each week or month, while other people will need to see someone every day and have access to an on-call service.

How can I get housing support?

If you think that you would benefit from housing support, you should contact the Supporting People team at your local council and ask them to assess your needs. You can also ask your GP or social worker about getting an assessment. If you are in hospital, you can ask the hospital social work team.

You can get contact details from your council.

Paying for housing support services

If you have a low income or receive welfare benefits, you may be able to get help to pay for housing support services from Supporting People.

Can I get support from more than one provider?

Yes. You might need different types of support from different kinds of care providers. For example, you may need housing support services to help you budget and plan meals, but you may also need a home help to come in to do your housework.

For more information, please see the section on care at home.