Supported Housing Services
Meres and Mosses Housing Association provides a support service designed to give extra help to people who have difficulty in coping with living independently and is best described as ‘Independence with a safety net.’
Independent living is achieved by a combination of support by the Housing Support Officers, Aids and Adaptations, Emergency Alarm Monitoring Service and Social Inclusion and Involvement.
The Housing Support Service aims to:
- Support older and vulnerable people in their own home.
- Help people to keep their independence for as long as possible.
- Encourage social interaction and lifelong learning.
The objectives of the Support Service are to:
- Provide community based activities that will enable people to address specific issues that are a threat to their health, independence and social well being.
- Provide flexible and individual support in people's homes.
- Work within a co-ordinated multi-agency umbrella of services.
The Housing Support Officers' Role
The Housing Support Officers provide an individual support plan for each resident and are able to deliver advice and assistance in such matters as obtaining equipment and arranging repairs, form filing, home security, professional visits, social activities, referals to the Occupational Theripist, health and well being, etc.
The Housing Support Officers work a total of 35 hours per week under a flexible arrangement, which enables them to provide an excellent service and meet service users’ needs. Most Housing Support Officers don’t live on site and are unlikely to be on site the whole time they’re on duty due to meetings, training sessions, other scheme cover, etc.
Emergency Alarm Monitoring Service
When the Housing Support Officer is off site or off duty the alarm is switched through to the alarm monitoring centre. The Centre holds all relevant records of each person eg, next of kin, doctors, main medical problems and main medications.
In the event of an emergency, the alarm should be activated and the monitoring centre will take appropriate action by calling the relevant emergency service, for example, Ambulance, Fire, Police or Doctor. They will also telephone the person who has been nominated as your emergency contact.
It’s important that the Housing Support Officer is told of any changes to the contact details so that records are kept up to date.