Bristol Reach provide comfortable, safe and high-quality shared homes for young adults who require extra help for an open-ended stage of their lives. Our support is self-directed and person-centred, which helps people to build confidence, skills, and independence.
Bristol Reach are guided by our Mission, Beliefs and Values.
We’re currently looking to hear from anyone interested in partnering with us in order to develop our services and improve outcomes for people with disabilities in Bristol. Please get in touch if you think we could do something great together.
Supported Living FAQ
What is Supported Accommodation?
Supported Accommodation is a house or flat with staff on site to help the person (or people) living there remain happy, safe and meaningfully engaged with their own lives and their community. Individuals who live in Supported Accommodation often have a mental health diagnosis or some kind of learning difficulty or other disability; however there are many reasons why a person might need a bit of extra support for a period of their lives.
How can I or my family member access Supported Accommodation?
Supported Accommodation of the type we offer is almost always arranged by Adult Social Services at Bristol City Council. If you feel like you need supported accommodation for yourself or your family member, the first step is to contact your social worker.
If you don’t have a social worker, you can refer yourself or your family member to Bristol City Council by filling out a short form on Care Direct or calling 0117 922 2700
How is Supported Accommodation paid for?
Supported Accommodation can be funded privately, but often a person will pay some or all of their rent with the Housing part of their Universal Credit (previously housing benefit). Bristol City Council will pay some or all of the support costs based on a tenant’s personal financial circumstances.
How long can someone stay in Supported Accommodation?
There are no time limits on how long a person can live at one of our projects, although we hope that many people who we support will develop the skills and confidence necessary to move into their own homes. For tenants being supported by Bristol Reach, their home is their own, in which, with their permission, we have the privilege of working.
What kind of support is available?
The amount and type of support a person recieves completely depends on what they need to remain safe, and what they would like to do with their life.
Often, younger adults will choose to live with other people for company, to develop confidence and to begin building an organic support network that eventually replaces the need for formal support. In these instances, their support would likely be made up of a combination of shared support – helping tenants to communally run their household, gain key daily living skills and increase their independence – and one-on-one support, which is planned to keep tenants safe and help them meet specific goals that require more attention. These goals could be anything from attending a football game, to learning a new style of communication, to sessions focussed on emotional and mental wellbeing to attending a college course.
For some individuals with more complex health needs or backgrounds, more intensive or specialised support is needed. This could mean being accompanied at all times by a team trained in Autism or Positive Behaviour Support principles.
Are you CQC Registered?
Bristol Reach do not currently preovide any ‘regulated activities’, which may include things like personal care (helping someone get washed or dressed, for example). For this reason we are not required to register with the CQC.
How are you quality assured?
Bristol Reach are contracted by Bristol City Council to deliver these kinds of services through their ‘Community Support Services Framework’ and ‘Single Framework for Adult Social Care’. Successful admission to these frameworks demonstrates that we have the right knowledge, experience, skills and values to enable the council to be confident in in working with us.
Contracts agreed through the council will be subject to the council’s own quality assurance procedures. For private contracts we have a robust and thorough quality assurance schedule that is available to all stakeholders using our services.