Amenity Housing
Care Homes
General Needs Housing
Housing Support
Landlord Services
National Care Standards
Rent
Sheltered Housing
Shared Ownership
Supported Housing
Supporting People
The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Care Commission)
Very Sheltered Housing
Amenity Housing is designed with the needs of older people in mind, usually with one or two bedrooms. There are no on-site staff but tenants can call for assistance through an emergency alarm system fitted in all rooms. Smoke fire detectors are incorporated into this system giving 24 hours a day cover, 365 days a year.
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Care Homes - Care Homes provide, residential care for physically frail older people and people with dementia at Pollok, Callander and Alloa. Each resident has self contained en-suite accommodation, and is encouraged to remain as independent as possible, but with access to social activities.
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General Needs Housing is the term used to describe all other forms of accommodation provided by the Association for single people, families and others.
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Housing Support:
The primary purpose of housing related support is to develop and sustain an individual’s capacity to live independently in their accommodation. The support tasks are defined by the Housing (Scotland) Act (2001). Services include accessing a central emergency alarm service (amenity housing available in all Trust housing for older people), and in the sheltered, very sheltered and supported accommodation staff are available on-site to provide assistance based on individual need. The service is funded by Support People Grant. The grant is provided by the local authorities, who may charge a tenant who can afford to pay. Tenants who receive Housing Benefit will normally not have to pay for housing support.
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Landlord Services:
Tenants pay Trust Housing Association directly for the rent of the property. The landlord services include a proportion of staff costs, common area heating, lighting and cleaning, maintenance, and improvement of the property and gardens, and hot water supply, and in some cases meals are provided. Tenants may be eligible for housing benefit to help meet these costs. Tenants pay for their own heating.
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National Care Standards:
The National Care Standards have been developed by a committee set up by Scottish Ministers. The Care Standards are the minimum levels of quality that each service must reach. They are the basis for each inspection which is carried out by the Care Commission. A copy of the standards is available in each development.
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Rent:
The term “rent” is used to describe the calender monthly payment due from tenants to Trust. The monthly charge (which is due monthly in advance) can consist of up to four components depending upon the type of accommodation occupied. Rent, Landlord Service Charges and part of Meals charges are eligible for Housing Benefit, which can be awarded depending upon an individual’s financial circumstances. Heating charges for tenants’ homes and hot water are never eligible for Housing Benefit.
- Rent: this is paid by all tenants and is used by the Association to meet management, maintenance and borrowing costs.
- Landlord Services: this is paid by tenants living in developments which have services such as local staffing, cleaning of common areas, landscape maintenance, laundry provision etc.
- Heating: Many of our tenants occupy accommodation where they pay a fixed monthly charge to Trust for their space and water heating.
- Food: Some of our developments offer a meal service, and where this option is taken up, tenants will pay an agreed sum each month.
Sheltered Housing
Sheltered accommodation ranges from bedsits, to one, two or three apartment flats, offering tenants security, comfort and privacy to live their own lifestyle in a supportive environment. Trust Housing has a variety of sheltered accommodation services.
Guest facilities are available in most developments for family and friends. Smoke fire detectors and emergency alarm systems are incorporated into all sheltered accommodation to give 24 hours a day cover, 365 days a year.
Sheltered Housing - has communal facilities, such as a laundry, lounge and guest rooms. A co-ordinator provides on-site housing support from Monday to Friday each week, including on-call overnight duty from Monday to Thursday nights. Tenants can call for assistance via an emergency alarm system during staff off duty hours and over weekends
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Shared Ownership - this describes accommodation which is part owned by the occupant and part rented from the Association. Typically the occupant owns 25%, 50% or 75% of the property and rents the remainder. The occupant can buy subsequent shares in blocks of 25% up to and including outright ownership. A variation of this, called shared equity is being introduced from 2005 onwards.
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Supported Housing - offers the same facilities and staff cover as Very Sheltered Housing but the additional housing support can be tailored to meet individual tenants' assessed support needs. Up to three meals each day can be provided, if required.
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Supporting People is a government programme committed to providing a better quality of life for vulnerable people to live more independently and maintain their tenancies. The programme provide funds for housing related support to prevent problems that can often lead to hospitalisation, residential or nursing care.
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The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Care Commission):
The Care Commission is an independent public body set up under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, to register, regulate and monitor care and housing support services throughout Scotland. All care and housing support are inspected annually to ensure that they meet National Care Standards. Reports on each of the inspections are available to the public.
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Very Sheltered Housing - shares the same communal facilities as sheltered housing with the addition of a dining room and kitchen. There is a staff team to provide 24 hour cover and additional housing support. Very Sheltered tenants also receive one meal each day and basic house cleaning.
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