9 HOUSING
Age Concern Sutton Borough Telephone helpline 020 8770 4090
www.ageconcernsutton.org.uk Email:
1 Lower Square, Civic Centre
St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1EA Reviewed November 2010
HOUSING
Contacts
Age Concern website - www.ageconcernsutton.org.uk
Age Concern Services
Reception number / ' 020 8770 4092Fax number / ' 020 8770 4093
Brokerage / ' 020 8770 6876
Charity Shop / ' 020 8770 0206
First Contact/ Information & Advice Service / ' 020 8770 4090
Helping Hands / ' 020 8770 4091
Home Fire Safety Assessment / ' 020 8770 4097
Home Security Service / ' 020 8770 4097
Homeshare Project / ' 020 8770 4096
Insurance Service / ' 020 8770 4092
Podiatry Service / ' 020 8770 4092
Handy Person / ' 020 8770 4097
Sutton Voice (Advocacy) / ' 020 8770 4709
User & Carer Project / ' 020 8770 6875
Local Contacts
Age Concern Sutton Borough' 020 8770 4090 / Local information covering:
Accommodation to rent, Retirement housing to purchase, Organizations helping with housing.
Sutton Citizens Advice Bureau
' 020 8405 3552 Helpline
' 020 8405 3535 Legal Aid
Website: www.suttoncabx.org.uk
Address: The Central Library, St Nicholas
Way, Sutton SM1 1EA / If there is no housing advice centre in your area, an advisor at the Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to help you. You can find out where your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau is in your local phone book.
Advice and information available to anyone with a housing problem, rent or mortgage arrears, benefits to pay for housing costs or tenancy problems.
Croydon Church Housing Association
' 020 8680 7532
Fax: 020 8688 5316
Website: www.ccha.biz
E:
6th Floor, Norfolk House, Wellesley Road
Croydon CR0 1LH / Provide General Needs homes for rent for single people and families; Housing for Older People providing a more secure environment for older tenants; or providing care and support services to residents who have particular support needs by providing somewhere to live where staff are on hand to help them make the most of the property they live in.
Larcombe Housing Association
' & Fax: 020 8643 9086
E:
41 Worcester Road, Sutton SM2 6PY / A voluntary organisation providing full residential care for older people. Also managed by Sutton Baptist Church.
London Borough of Sutton Housing Centre
' 020 8770 5000
Website: www.sutton.gov.uk / Information on housing options: re-housing by the council, residence qualifications, waiting lists, medical priorities, nominations to housing associations, sheltered accommodation.
London Borough of Sutton:
Carers Development Unit
' 020 8770 4547
Website: www.sutton.gov.uk / Information and support group for relatives / carers / friends of older people living in or about to enter a care home.
The group meets every other month usually the third Wednesday between 2-4pm at the Civic Offices. Meetings are informal and friendly with guest speakers often invited.
Millat Asian Housing Association
' 020 8640 6413
F: 020 8640 7348
Website: www.maha.org.uk
E:
58 Victoria Road, College Fields, Mitcham CR4 3JA / Community based housing associated in Merton, Sutton and Kingston. Aims to provide quality housing and support services to the community.
Nonsuch Abbeyfield
' 020 8394 0050
E:
Website: www.nonsuchabbeyfield.org
The Old House, Mongers Lane, Epsom Road, Ewell KT17 1JZ / Provides sheltered accommodation in Sutton and Cheam. Offering older people long term serviced accommodation and companionship.
Seniors Page (Adults and Older People)
Website: www.sutton.gov.uk / Information for older people from the London Borough of Sutton.
Sutton Housing Advice & Information Team
' 020 8770 5800
Minicom: 020 8770 5178
Website: www.sutton.gov.uk / Enables people to find solutions to their housing problems, to prevent homelessness and enforce people’s housing rights as well as to promote housing options. They provide a booklet called ‘A Directory of Adult Care Services in Sutton’. Giving information and listings of care homes.
Sutton Housing Partnership
' 0800 195 5552
' 020 8915 2000
Website: www.suttonhousingpartnership.org.uk
E:
Sutton Gate, 1 Carshalton Road, Sutton
SM1 4LE / Social housing provider. Providing the management of housing services to tenants and leaseholders.
Helpline:
8am-5pm Monday, Wednesday & Friday
8am-7pm Tuesday & Thursday
Sutton Housing Society Ltd
' 020 8642 1500
Fax: 020 8770 1661
E:
1A Trickett House, 125 Brighton Road
Sutton SM2 5SN / Provision of housing with support for the elderly and people with special needs.
Phone Line:
Monday – Tuesday 9.30am – 1pm; 2 pm-4 pm
Wednesday 9.30am – 1 pm
Thursday – Friday 9.30am – 1pm; 2 pm-4 pm
Sutton Staying Put
' 020 8409 7061
Website: www.sutton.gov.uk
Address: 24 Denmark Road, Carshalton SM5 2JG / Support service for older, disabled and other vulnerable people to enable them to live independently and remain in the comfort and safety of their own homes. Gives advice for carrying out repairs and adaptations and assisting with grant applications.
National Contacts
Abbeyfield Houses' 01727 857 536
Fax: 01727 846 168
Website: www.abbeyfield.com
E:
53 Victoria Street, St Albans, Herts AL1 3UW / Abbeyfield houses cater for older people looking for support in sheltered housing and care homes. Helps older people to live independently.
Age UK (Home & Care)
' 0800 169 6565 Helpline
Website: www.ageuk.org.uk
E: / Free national information service for older people. They provide basic information and explain how to find the sort of housing that might better suit your needs.
Almshouses
' 01344 452 922
Fax: 01344 862 062
Website: www.almshouses.org
E: / Almshouses are run by charitable trusts and offer low-cost accommodation for older people. Each charity has their own rules about the categories of people they can house. Residents living in Almshouses, as beneficiaries of a charity, do not have the same legal rights as a tenant elsewhere.
Counsel and Care
' 0845 300 7585
' 020 7241 8555
Fax: 020 7267 6877
Website: www.counselandcare.org.uk
E:
Twyman House, 16 Bonny Street, London
NW1 9PG / Helpline for information and advice about housing options and a series of factsheets with details covering topics like special accommodation of older people and residential care.
Care Quality Commission
' 03000 616161
Fax: 03000 616171
Website: www.cqc.org.uk
E:
Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA / Independent regulator of health and social care. A directory of care homes and care services and gives a report about them. Also provides information on choosing and arranging good care. Find independent reports on the quality of all your local care homes, home care and other registered services, plus address and contact details, to help you make the right choice on the website (details listed in contacts).
Direct.gov
Website: www.direct.gov.uk / Government Information for the public.
Provides lots of information regarding public services at one place.
Advice and information on housing and home.
Elderly Accommodation Counsel
' 020 7820 1343
Website: www.eac.org.uk
E:
3rd Floor, 89 Albert Embankment, London
SE1 7TP / Elderly Accommodation Counsel is a registered charity that maintains nationwide databases of all forms of accommodation specifically for older people – sheltered retirement housing to buy and to rent, close care and extra care schemes and care homes.
Tenant Services Authority
' 0845 230 7000
Website: www.tenantservicesauthority.org
E:
149 Tottenham Court Road, London
W1T 7BN / An independent regulator for affordable housing in England.
Provide information, comparison and list of landlords.
Helpline: 9am – 5pm Monday – Friday
NI Direct Government Services
Website: www.nidirect.gov.uk / A one-stop direct website for all government information and services including direct online services. Information such as motoring, employment, tax & benefits, health, legal rights, housing and etc.
Prospect Housing and Support Services
' 01737 765 800
Website: www.prospecthousing.org.uk
E:
The Hethersett Centre, RNIB College, Philanthropic Road, Redhill RH1 4DG / Provide care and support services, housing services, supported living services, short-term breaks for carers and others.
The Relatives & Residents Association
' 020 7359 8136 Advice Line
' 020 7359 8148
Fax: 020 7226 6603
Website: www.relres.org
E:
1 The Ivories, 6-18 Northampton Street
London N1 2HY / Advice and help to relatives and friends about care of older people in residential and nursing homes.
Advice Line:
9.30am – 4.30pm Monday - Friday
Shelterline
' 0808 800 4444
Website: www.shelter.org.uk
E: / Information for people with any sort of housing related problems.
Hotline
8am – 8pm Monday - Friday
8am – 5pm Saturday - Sunday
The Cinnamon Trust
' 01736 757 900
F: 01736 757 010
Website: www.cinnamon.org.uk
E:
10 Market Square, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4HE / The Trust’s primary objective is to respect and preserve the treasured relationship between owners and their pets. To this end it works in partnership with owners to overcome any difficulties that might arise. Cinnamon Trust also provides long term care for pets whose owners have died or moved to residential accommodation which will not accept pets.
United Kingdom Homecare Association Ltd (UKHCA)
' 020 8288 5291
Fax: 020 8288 5290
Website: www.ukhca.co.uk
E:
2nd Floor, Group House, 52 Sutton Court Road
SM1 4SL / Is the representative body for organizations that provide personal care – including nursing care – to people in their own homes. Provide information, advice and a list of home care providers.
Nursing Homes Directory
' 07092 035131
Website: www.carehomes.net
Little Grove, Bushey, Watford, Herts / Provides a list and information of Care Homes situated in the London Borough of Sutton.
What is sheltered or retirement housing?
I am struggling with everyday activities, but I want to carry on living in my home. Is there any help I can get? Many people think that as you get older you start to lose your independence. Although some everyday tasks become more difficult there are ways to deal with it without losing independence. There are many companies that can help you and provide assistance to help you cope, including Age Concern Sutton Borough’s Small Job Service and Ageing Well programme. Sutton Staying Put and Social Services can also help you carry on living in your own home.
Age Concern’s Small Job Service
Age Concern’s Small Job Service supports independence for the older residents of the London Borough of Sutton. All work is undertaken by Age Concern staff only. We offer a prompt and reliable service for those who are worried about allowing total strangers into their homes to carry out repairs. At Age Concern, we are happy to offer advice on all aspects of house maintenance, visit your premises and conduct a site survey to ensure the advice we offer meets with your needs and requirements.
There is a charge for the Small Job Service, although estimates are free and in some cases a 100% grant can be obtained from he London Borough of Sutton through their Minor Works Grant Scheme.
Age Concern’s Ageing Well Project
The Ageing Well Project aims to enrich the lives of vulnerable older people by promoting independence, health, safety in the home and social involvement in the community. We will arrange an appointment to visit you in your home and have an informal chat to assess your needs.
We aim to improve safety and security in your home and prevent falling and a fear of falling. We also aim to promote exercise and an active lifestyle and we work closely with an Occupational Therapist Assistant and the Small Job Service.
After assessment our Small Job Service will help improve your safety and security by supplying and fitting rails to doors, stairs and bathroom, among many other improvements.
Sutton Staying Put
Sutton Staying Put is a non-profit making Home Improvement Agency. They provide a valuable support service for older, disabled and other vulnerable people within the community to enable them to live independently and remain in the comfort and safety of their own homes.
Social Services
Social services provide a range of services to enable independence such as personal care, equipment and adaptations to your home. Social services can assess your situation to decide whether you are eligible for help and what sort of help.
Thinking about Retirement Housing?
Retirement Housing is intended specifically for older people, and usually residents need to be at least 55 or 60. Housing tends to be in a scheme of between 20 and 40 flats or bungalows. There is almost always an alarm system linked to a communications centre which can summon help for you in an emergency. Most retirement housing is sold on a leasehold basis. This means that you have a long lease on the property and will usually pay a small ground rent to the free holder.
There are some important issues to consider before deciding whether sheltered or retirement housing is right for you. Retirement housing may be smaller, more manageable and offer more security and support. However, the new accommodation might be in an area that you are not familiar with and further away from your friends and family, you might not be able to fit all the furniture in and you might not be able to take your pet with you. Instead of moving to sheltered housing, you may want to consider whether you could receive extra security or support services in your present home.
Important Features
Once you have decided to move to sheltered housing or retirement housing, you will want tothink aboutwhich features are important to you. If possible, try and visit several schemes and meet the scheme manager or warden and other residents. There may be a few things that you need to think about. These include:
The site
Is the area the retirement home is in, easy to access? For example, are there any hills to climb to get to and from the housing? How close is it to busy or main roads?
Local community facilities
Is there easy access to shops, post offices, banks, chemists and medical services? Is there also easy access to libraries, places of worship, pubs, clubs and day centres, meaning you will not have to travel far to carry out daily tasks.
Transport
Is the housing on a public transport route, and how frequent are the buses or train services? Is there adequate parking for you if you drive, or if you have regular visitors who drive, and is there easy access from the parking area to the home?
Design
If the flat is on the first floor or higher, is there a lift to help to your flat? Are the corridors and walkways wide enough for people with walking frames or wheel chairs? If you use a scooter, make sure there is storage available. Also, check that the management has no objections to minor adaptations which may be needed to the outside of the flat, for example, a ramp or handrails. Make sure that doors and window handles are easy to reach and operate, and make sure that switches and plugs are reachable without straining.