Sheltered accommodation is housing provided for older or disabled people grouped together on the same site or in a single building. It is different from a residential or nursing home as people living in sheltered housing live independently in their own bungalow, or flat with their own living space and their own front door.
Most sheltered housing schemes have a warden. The warden may live on site or visit schemes on a regular basis. All sheltered housing in Leeds is connected to our city-wide alarm system in case of emergencies.
Sheltered housing comes in a number of different shapes and sizes. They may be low or high rise flats, or bungalows. Many schemes have shared facilities such as day rooms and television lounges. Some schemes also have guestrooms and laundry rooms -with automatic washing machines and dryers.
Normally, only people over 60 years old can live in sheltered housing. However there may be circumstances where even if you are under 60 you may still be able to apply. If you are a disabled person or if you have medical need you may still qualify.
Your warden
If you live in sheltered housing your warden will visit you at home. If they come across any problems or if find that residents need assistance, they can arrange help.
Wardens are also responsible for testing fire alarm equipment and keeping a check on communal areas. They can also report repairs. Many wardens organise social activities such as coffee mornings, luncheon clubs and bingo.
Wardens do not provide care services or do things such as shopping for people who live in sheltered housing. They are not nurses and cannot give any medication. They cannot do minor household repairs and must not be involved with your financial affairs.
Emergencies
Some housing organisations provide an emergency warden call service. The system that we have in Leeds is called Care Ring, and has staff working in our control centre 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Most properties in sheltered housing have an intercom and a pull cord that you can use in an emergency. You may also have a pendant to carry round that can activate your alarm.
An operator will respond to calls straight away and will arrange for help. This could be the emergency services, the warden, or a friend or relative. Even if we can not hear you when you activate the alarm, we will send somebody to your home as quickly as possible.
Further information
A number of organisations in Leeds provide sheltered housing. You can find out more by following the links on this page to their websites. You can also download a list of all sheltered housing schemes in the city.
Most Sheltered Housing schemes receive funding for housing support from Leeds Supporting People.