People with learning disabilities in the Bath and North East Somerset area are set to benefit from £1.85m of government funding to help them live more independently in their own homes.
Health Minister David Mowat yesterday announced the successful bidders to a £25 million government fund.
The four successful projects in Bath and Somerset will focus on providing a range of adaptive technologies for supported living properties across the county and home ownership scheme mortgages for five people with learning disabilities.
This will help people with learning disabilities in the county to live safely and independently within the community.
Only 15% of adults with learning disabilities in England have a secure long-term tenancy or their own home.
The Department of Health aims to address this by supporting projects including shared ownership schemes, adapting existing properties with new technology and even building new technologically adapted homes.
The £25 million fund aims to improve the quality of life of people with learning disabilities – giving them independence, and helping them feel more included in their local community.
Minister for Community Health and Care David Mowat said: “I want to offer my sincere congratulations to the successful projects in Somerset and Bath.
“We had a fantastic response to our call for bids and I’m delighted that the innovative ideas put forward for adaptive technologies and a shared ownership scheme will now become a reality.
“I want to thank the bidders for their dedication to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities in their community and wish them all the best in bringing this important project to life.”
The allocation of the funding to 52 projects across England is a step towards achieving the government’s vision of a future in which there are safe, reliable and innovative alternatives to inpatient care for people with learning disabilities.
The chief executive for Learning Disability England, Alicia Wood, also welcomed the fund, saying how it represented much needed support for people with learning disabilities.
She said: “What has been even more welcome is that it has provided the stimulation needed to create person-centred approaches to housing that give people with learning disabilities real control over their lives.
“There were many exceptional bids to the fund and we congratulate those who were successful. We very much look forward to seeing what happens as a result of this fund and how that translates into better lives for people with learning disabilities.”
