The usual length of stay is 2 to 3 years and, when ready, we support you to find suitable accommodation to move on to, which may be your own room in a shared house or your own flat.

Our experienced staff will give you support tailored to your needs including:

• Support and motivation to make positive changes
• Getting into daytime activities, training, education and employment
• Setting up home and settling in
• Help with family relationships and making friends
• Support to develop emotional intelligence, self-understanding, remove blocks to personal progress, enable recovery from issues experienced, and encouragement to develop your own personal identity
• Life skills and becoming more independent
• Coping skills and strategies
• Staying safe
• Advice and support regarding physical and mental health, diet, substance misuse, contraception, sexual health, domestic and other forms of abuse
• Budgeting and money management
• Advice and support to claim welfare benefits
• Understanding occupancy agreements and obligations, and keeping your tenancy
• Support with moving on to suitable accommodation

Our team of support workers are on site 7 days a week. We work together with you to help you to identify and work towards your aspirations and so that you are well prepared for independent living.

For all of these services you need to be requiring and happy to accept support to tackle issues you have experienced and help get your life back on track.

You can to be male or female, aged between 18-64, with a learning disability, or on the autistic spectrum, or with an acquired brain injury.

You can apply for a place yourself or be referred by an agency you already have contact with, for example, the Adults and Autism Team at Cambridgeshire County Council, the National Autistic Society, local homeless services or the Cambridgeshire Learning Disability Partnership. It is best if you visit us first. One of our staff will show you around and tell you more about the service. Then, if you want to apply, you can complete an application form which we can give you or you can find here on our website.

If you have no-one to help you apply, please contact us and we will assist you to find support and take you through the application process.

Once we receive your application form we will carry out an assessment meeting with you and your referrer. This is an opportunity for you to let us know what you want to get out of living at Russell Street and how we can support you. What has been recorded will be explained to you to make sure that it is accurate.

All applications and assessments are discussed at an Allocations Panel meeting and the panel will decide if you can be offered a place. The Service Manager or Assistant Service Manager will let you know the decision and this will be confirmed in writing. If you are offered a place you may be able to move in straight away if there is a vacant room, or, if there are no vacancies at the time we will add your name to the waiting list. If you are not offered a place we will tell you why and wherever possible suggest alternatives for you to try.

Yes, you have the right to appeal. You or your referrer must write to the Service Manager within 14 days of receiving the decision letter giving reasons why you think the decision was wrong. If the Service Manager thinks your application should be reconsidered, then your application will be looked at again at the next Allocation Panel meeting. If the Service Manager does not think your reasons for appealing are justified, your appeal will be passed to the Community Support Manager at CHS who will arrange an appeal hearing. You have the right to have someone with you at the appeal hearing.

You will need to pay the rent and any service charges and may be eligible for Housing Benefit towards these costs. In many cases tenants only have to pay their personal service charge for hot water, heat and light as this is not eligible for Housing Benefit. You do not have to pay for the support.

Staff are on site 7 days per week, with a member of staff sleeping in overnight.

For Alison House – support staff can be contacted 7 days per week and overnight if necessary.  Staff will visit Alison House for support meetings.  Staffing time on site varies.

The people who live at Russell Street are male and female between the ages of 18-65 years old.