does this housing sound better than the council flat i'm in now?

Question

i'm in my late 30's, suffer mental health problems and have lived on my own for 11 years in a council flat in trafford manchester...........i have never made any relationships in life so i am literally on my own.
anyway my social worker has been trying to get me into supported housing....because im feeling isolated in my flat and struggling to manage my flat.

anyhow some housing has become available? they are private flats on a private road, people who live there have mental health problems also....you have your own flat, but there is support attached to the flat? - meaning that staff come to help with things a couple of times a week.

there is no communal area like in shared housing...so its technically supported housing.

compared to where iam now which is a council flat on a council estate, i live on the 3rd floor of a 4th floor block of flats. and its noisy around here....with dodgy characters who live locally.

2 members of staff are coming to visit me next week about this new housing.

so im just wondering what i should do?

i lead a very lonely life at the moment in my flat all alone....so im wondering whether i'll be better off in this supported housing?

or should i ask for shared housing instead to take away the feelings of loneliness?

Answer 1

I honestly can't see that you will necessarily have a lot more company if you move. From what you've said, you'll only be seeing support workers a couple of times a week and there is no communal area for meeting others, so think carefully about what you'll lose and what you'll gain. Will you have to contribute any more in rent than now or will it still be taken care of by housing benefit. Will it cost more to run. Is it far from the shops and facilities. Will it be better to be away from the dodgy characters you say are near you now. Have those dodgy people ever bothered you in the past or is your social worker trying to scare monger you into going. What's your gut feeling about the move. What floor will you be on in your new block. Is there a lift if you need it for getting shopping up the stairs. And so on. Ask searching questions of your social worker as to how your life will be better. The main one being, HOW is this going to improve your chances of making friends. Most people in apartments, as you will already know, come home and shut their doors and aren't seen again till you pass them in the corridor!

Answer 2

I think you already know what you want to do, the options on the table are stay where you are, which you don't like or potentially move to sheltered housing....there is no option on the table about shared accommodation, so that is not an option you need to concern yourself about and you could be waiting another 11 yrs for that for all you know........



Look at your life now, you do not go out, you do not socialise, you don't invite others to visit, the only people you see are the social care workers, so sheltered housing gives you the isolation ( or privacy) you seek, you can close your own door and be as lonely as you want, or you can go and knock on the door of a neighbour, introduce yourself and start making real friends and when you get fed up socialising you can go back to your own place again. I have to say shared accommodation is not all that it is cracked up to be, what happens if you share with 3 other people and you don't like them, you can't get away from them as you have shared facilities, great if you get on well, but your history is you isolated yourself, you are not going to turn into a social party animal over night....



Ask if you can go and visit and see this place, be open minded, even ask if you can meet any of the other people living there, ask them questions about life there for them, it may be the start of you helping yourself and not hiding away

Answer 3

You will be better off in supported house my name is Sinead and I saw your question before if you have any problem feel free to add me on Skype Sinead.duffy17 :)