What Most People Get Wrong

Many people don’t understand what supported living really means. This leads to wrong decisions about care, wasted money, and missed chances to help people live better lives.

Supported living helps people with disabilities live in their own homes with the right support but myths and wrong ideas stop people from choosing this option, even when it would work better than care homes.

These wrong ideas affect real people’s lives. They influence how councils spend money, how families choose care, and how services are designed. What we’ve discovered through our extensive supported living tender work is that commissioners often make decisions based on these misconceptions rather than the evidence of what supported living actually achieves for individuals and communities.

Myth 1: Supported Living is Just Another Name for Care Homes

This is the biggest myth about supported living, and it’s completely wrong.

Supported living and care homes work in totally different ways. In supported living, people have their own home with their own tenancy agreement, just like any other renter. In care homes, people live in someone else’s building and follow their rules.

In supported living, people can:

– Decorate their home however they want.

– Choose who visits them.

– Decide when to eat, sleep, and go out.

– Change their support team if they’re not happy.

– Keep living there even if their needs change.

None of these things are possible in care homes, where the care home makes most decisions.

The money aspect is different too. In supported living, housing costs and support costs are separate. This means if someone needs less support, they pay less but they keep their home. In care homes, everything is paid in one fee.

 

Myth 2: Supported Living Only Works for People Who Need Little Help

Supported living works for people with all kinds of support needs including those who need help 24 hours a day. Around 30,000 adults with learning disabilities in the UK live in supported living and they have very different support needs.

Some people in supported living need:

– Staff awake all night.

– Help with medical care.

– Support with challenging behavior.

– Assistance with all daily tasks.

The difference isn’t how much help someone needs, it’s that the help is given in a way that lets them make choices and control their own life.

 

Myth 3: Supported Living Costs More Than Care Homes

Good supported living usually costs less than care homes and gives better results because housing and support costs are separate, money can be used much more efficiently.

In supported living:

– Support hours can go up or down based on what someone actually needs.

– When someone needs less help, costs go down immediately.

– Housing costs are often lower than care home fees.

– Housing benefits can help pay for accommodation.

Setting up supported living can cost more at the start because you need to find housing and set up support. But month by month, it usually costs less. Some councils also find it hard to compare costs because the money comes from different budgets.

 

Myth 4: It’s Harder to Make Sure Quality is Good in Supported Living

Some people think care homes are better because one organisation is responsible for everything in one building.

Supported living often has better quality control than care homes because different organisations check different things. This creates more ways to spot and fix problems.

This means if someone is unhappy with their support, they can change support providers without losing their home – something impossible in care homes.

Having different organisations involved can seem more complicated. But this usually means better protection and oversight, not worse.

For providers wanting to understand how to effectively demonstrate quality management in supported living tenders, speak with our supported living specialists who can explain how to present quality assurance systems that address commissioner concerns whilst highlighting the flexibility advantages that make supported living so effective.

 

Myth 5: Families Don’t Like Supported Living

There’s a belief that families prefer care homes because they seem safer and more professional.

The thing is, when families understand what supported living really offers, most prefer it to care homes. Supported living keeps people connected to their local area and lets families stay involved in important decisions.

Families like supported living because:

– Their relatives are part of the local community.

– They can visit anytime and stay involved in decisions.

– If a support provider changes, their relative keeps their home.

– They can see their relatives living a more normal life.

When councils assume families prefer care homes, they might not properly explain supported living options. This means missing chances to provide services that families would actually prefer.

 

Myth 6: People with Autism Can’t Benefit from Supported Living

Some people think autistic people need highly structured care home environments and can’t handle the flexibility of supported living.

Supported living can be especially good for autistic people because they can control their environment and routines without interference from other residents.

In supported living, autistic people can:

– Control noise, lighting, and other sensory aspects of their home.

– Keep the same routines every day.

– Get support that matches their communication style.

– Choose how much social contact they want.

Many autistic people do better in supported living because they don’t have to deal with the unpredictable social situations that make care homes stressful.

When people think supported living doesn’t work for autistic people, they limit options for individuals who could benefit greatly from this approach. To help commissioners and providers move beyond these limiting assumptions, we’ve assembled evidence-based resources on supported living best practice that demonstrate how person-centred approaches work effectively across all disability types and support needs, providing concrete examples that challenge outdated thinking.

 

Real Challenges in Supported Living (And How to Fix Them).

While these myths are wrong, supported living does have some real challenges that need addressing:

• Finding Good Housing: It can be hard to find suitable, affordable homes in some areas. But this is a general housing problem, not a problem with supported living itself.
• Finding Good Support Providers: Like any service, supported living is only as good as the people providing it. Councils need good systems to check quality and monitor services.
• Coordinating Different Services: Because different organisations provide housing and support, good coordination is essential. This needs to be planned from the beginning.
• Finding Good Staff: Supported living faces the same staff shortages as other care services. However, many staff prefer working in supported living because they can build meaningful relationships and see people achieve their goals.

For anyone making care decisions, understanding the reality of supported living rather than the myths is essential. The question isn’t whether supported living works – it’s whether decision makers are ready to move beyond old assumptions and look at what the evidence actually shows.

Whether you’re developing supported living services for the first time, expanding existing provision, or positioning your organisation to challenge these prevalent myths in tender responses, our specialist supported living consultancy services provide the strategic insight and evidence base needed to present compelling proposals that demonstrate real understanding of what supported living achieves.

Contact our supported living experts to discuss how we can help you develop services and tender responses that move beyond these limiting myths to showcase the genuine potential of supported living to transform individual lives whilst delivering sustainable, cost-effective outcomes that benefit entire communities.