| Social Landlords |
| What are R.S.L's? |
| Ayrshire Housing |
| Hanover Housing |
| Link Housing |
| Margaret Blackwood |
| Trust Housing |
| West of Scotland |
Sheltered Housing
There are significant differences in design and services
provided between sheltered houses and the council’s
other mainstream properties.
There is also a difference in the way sheltered housing is allocated. What is Sheltered Housing? The Council's Sheltered Housing Units (SHU) allow disabled people, people with learning disabilities and people aged 60 or over to retain a high degree of independence within their homes. This is achieved by :-
The role of the warden is essentially
as “good neighbour”. The warden is not employed
as a nurse or home help. Therefore, the warden will
not be involved in administering medicines or helping
with residents’ shopping.
In general the wardens duties can be described as :-
On most developments, individual properties have been equipped with amenities, which are specifically designed to meet the needs of elderly residents. These features normally include:
There are also a number of communal facilities such as a laundry, a residents' lounge and kitchen, an office for the warden and a bedsit for tenants’ visitors on some of the newer developments. How to Apply for Sheltered Housing Applicants for sheltered housing need to complete the Council’s Application for Housing, and also a short questionnaire within this application, which asks for additional details of their personal needs and health. Once an application for Sheltered housing has been received at an Area Office, allocations staff will carefully check the application form and ensure the person is eligible to join the sheltered housing waiting or transfer list. The information given on the application and in the questionnaire will then be used by the Divisional Housing Manager to determine the priority the applicant will have. (If additional information is required, this will be sought from the applicant by letter, visit, or by contacting Social Work, or any other agencies involved). Once the assessment is complete the applicant will be awarded either a high, medium or low priority, as follows:-
Urgent Sheltered Housing If the applicant urgently requires rehousing to sheltered accommodation, because of a risk of being admitted to hospital or residential care, or because they are being discharged from such a facility, then they will be assessed in accordance with the Community Care Category policy (as outlined in the section “Special Categories for Rehousing”). Additional Points In addition to these priority points, additional points
may be awarded to applicants, similar to those on the
mainstream waiting list. These include:-
The applicant will then be placed on one of three lists – high, medium or low priority. Allocation of Sheltered Housing When selecting applicants for sheltered housing vacancies, the Council’s policy is to spread allocations between Transfer applicants (75%) and Non-Council applicants (25%). In order to help create balanced communities, allocations to each sheltered complex are also spread between the three priority lists in the proportions of High (60%), Medium (30%) and Low (10%). Choosing Sheltered Housing Units The location of sheltered housing stock in South Ayrshire, provided both by the Council and Housing Associations / RSLs, is outlined in the table below. Sheltered housing complexes provide a mixture of bedsits, 1 and 2 bedroom properties. Also, some of the properties may be on upper floors as well as on ground level. (Further information on these properties can be obtained from the Area Housing Offices or from the housing associations directly). Applicants may choose as many sheltered housing complexes as they wish, right across South Ayrshire.
Appealing Against a Decision Where an applicant is not satisfied with a decision or the priority award made by the Housing Office, they have the right to appeal to the Housing Operations Manager. If after this review the applicant is still not satisfied with decision, a further appeal can be made to the Head of Regeneration and Housing. Further detail on the appeals process for allocations decisions can be found in the Councils Allocations Policy in the section “Related Information” Tenancies in Sheltered Housing Rent levels for sheltered housing are generally higher than for mainstream tenancies. This is to cover the costs of the extra services provided to tenants (i.e. warden service). Like tenants of mainstream council housing, sheltered housing tenants can apply for housing benefit to help cover the cost of the rent and the service charges. (More information on Housing Benefit can be found in the “Related Information” section of this guide). However, unlike mainstream tenants, those tenants living in sheltered housing do not have the right to buy their council house. Nomination Agreements with Housing Associations / RSLs As indicated in the above table, many of the sheltered housing complexes in South Ayrshire are owned and managed by Housing Associations / RSLs. The Council operates a nominations agreement with these other landlords, which means that they can nominate applicants from the Council's waiting list for vacancies that arise with the housing associations' complexes. The remaining vacancies that arise within housing association properties are offered to applicants on the housing associations own lists. Therefore, if you are interested in applying for a complex owned by one of these other landlords, you are advised to apply directly to that housing association, in addition to your Council application. (Further details on how to apply to the various housing associations in South Ayrshire can be found in the “Social Landlords” section of this guide). Important Note: If the council nominates an applicant for a housing association vacancy, then an offer made by this housing association will count as an offer made by the Council under their own allocations policy. |
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