Sheltered Housing

Sheltered accommodation is the term used for groups of flats and/or bungalows supported by a warden service and designed for the benefit of elderly people. Individual units are built to ‘mobility standards’, giving more space than is usually found in accommodation for younger people, to reflect the needs of people using walking aid etc. At least 10% are built to accommodate wheelchairs.

The warden service provides neighbourly assistance and reassurance. In very sheltered schemes there is 24-hour warden cover on site. Other sheltered schemes may have resident part-time wardens, floating support and/or a link to Community Care Line which provides 24-hour emergency cover throughout the year.

Basically there are 3 levels of sheltered housing:

• Category I - is typically a group of bungalows and/or flats with a 5-day warden service and few if any additional facilities. The warden service may only be floating support.
• Category II - typically comprises purpose-built flats. It usually offers a 7-day warden service and the additional facilities of communal living room, kitchen, laundry and guest bedroom. Most of these schemes have a lunch club once or twice a week. The warden service may only be floating support.
• Very sheltered housing - provides a 24-hour warden service and a daily lunch club in addition to the other facilities offered in Category II schemes. These schemes are partly funded by the County Council and to ensure that vacancies are allocated to the persons in greatest need a Review Team assesses the eligibility of all applicants. The Review Team consists of representatives from Social Services, Home Care, District Health Authority, Landlord Housing Association (Spa or EPHA) and Wychavon District Council.

There are also sheltered housing schemes for purchase and/or shared ownership in Droitwich, Pershore, Evesham and Broadway.

For further information please contact us.