Creating new purpose-built accommodation will also save money, councillors told
Carmarthenshire Council’s headquarters in Carmarthen(Image: Rob Harries )
More people with learning disabilities in Carmarthenshire are to be offered a place to live by the council in a move which one councillor said would deliver “staggering” savings and offer more independence.
Cllr Terry Davies said demand for this type of accommodation was rising and the alternatives were costly out-of-county placements and residential care settings. “If we don’t take this line we face more crisis placements, more operational pressures, and poorer outcomes for vulnerable individuals,” he said.
The council is looking to add four new supported housing schemes in Llanelli, St Clears, and Llanddarog for people aged over 18 with learning disabilities and mental health needs, adding to its current portfolio. If all four were to proceed they would accommodate 20 people on top of other specialist accommodation the council has for 67 people with these complex needs.
A report before the homes and regeneration scrutiny committee said this type of supported accommodation – shared accommodation where individuals have their own bedrooms and share the living areas, or self-contained units – helped people live as independently as possible and was more homely.
It said demand was increasing – mainly because the people needing this support were living longer – that needs were getting more complex, and that the council still commissioned other providers to help meet demand. Stay informed on Carms news by signing up to our newsletter here
The report said in-house supported accommodation cost the council an average of £74,464 per individual per year, far less than residential care which cost an average of £196,872 per individual – an annual saving of £122,408.
Cllr Bryan Davies said he was concerned the new accommodation schemes being looked at in Llanelli, St Clears, and Llanddarog didn’t serve the north-west and north of Carmarthenshire and asked what assessment had been done.
People needing support, he said, wanted to stay close to their families and communities.
A council officer said each individual had an accommodation needs plan which identified things including where they wanted to live and that the authority wouldn’t make someone from Llanybydder in the north-west, for example, live in supported accommodation in Llanelli in the south-east.
She also reiterated that the four schemes being looked were one part of the equation given that other providers were also commissioned. The council is earmarking £3.3m of housing revenue account funding to progress the work.
Cllr Terry Davies said: “The savings that we see speak for themselves. Supported accommodation can save over a staggering £122,000 per person compared to residential care.”
More importantly, he said, it gave people independence, stability, and dignity.
He said he understood Cllr Bryan Davies’ point about the location of in-house supported accommodation and added: “Perhaps we need to look at it later on.” The committee went to to approve the report.
