Moving into our own space is part of becoming an adult and embracing the independence that brings. In this new series on Housing Options I’m exploring some of the housing models that are available for people with additional needs. The series starts off with Main Street, an innovative project literally built from the ground up. Jillian Copeland the founder of Main Street talks about why Main street exists and its core values of affordable, inclusive, accessible living.

Solo episode this week where I talk about what I’ve learnt in the conversations I’ve had as part of the Grace Eyre Profile Series. This has been about acknowledging the past, celebrating the present and focusing on the future. Supporting our children towards a better future needs to be a joined up approach and this is why hearing from organizations like Grace Eyre who offer that more holistic support is a useful resource for all of us as we support our children on their journeys.

Everyone should have the right to decide their own future but too often people with additional needs simply aren’t given a voice. In this episode my two guests are Cleo Dibb, the Our Voices Manager and Jenny Good who was involved in the Rethink Disability campaign. Both are discussing the imperative of giving people the opportunity to share their lived experience, be listened to and be actively involved in all the decisions that impact on their lives.

Getting into paid employment is a major challenge for people with additional needs. Programs that support people to develop their employability skills and enable them to break down the barriers into work play an essential role. In this episode with Evie Halligan and Stuart Leaney we discuss the Work Buddy and Let’s Work Together projects run at Grace Eyre, how these operate, the challenges, the successes and why getting into paid work is so important

One of the core skills for an independent life is independent travel. At Grace Eyre the Travel Buddy Project focuses on supporting people to develop the confidence, self awareness and knowledge they need to travel independently. In this episode with Gary Cunningham, the Travel Buddy Team Leader, we are discussing exactly how the scheme works and the impact it has on increasing the opportunities

Social interactions are an essential part of being human, providing us with connections and often a purpose. In this episode with Jenny Good from the Friendship Group and Colleen Maytham and Mario Antoon from Active Lives we explore the ways to make and keep these connections and the increasingly important role of technology in helping bring people together to explore common interests and support each other.

Sharing our lives is what we all do but often we don’t realize the impact we can have on other people’s lives. In this episode with David Matthews – Head of Service Shared Lives we are talking about what the Shared Lives scheme is all about and exactly how it works. We also discuss why it is such an effective way to support people to progress towards more independent living as well as why it offers a powerful way to fight social isolation and promote inclusion.

Having the right to choose how we live our lives is a fundamental human right and one that in the past many people with additional needs haven’t been given. In this episode with Paul Barker – Head of Service, Choices Brighton & Hove at Grace Eyre we discuss how to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to choose their own future. We also talk about the importance of expectations and how that is driving change.

Moving into a place of our own is a major life event. For a person with additional needs it can often be the first significant step on their journey to greater independence. Just what that place might look like and how it all works is the focus of this episode with Chris Hill, Head of Housing & Estates at Grace Eyre. Chris explains the different housing options that are available. He also talks about how housing preferences and the level of support needed

The future can be scary if you really don’t know what your options are. Having a roadmap with ideas of where to start would help and what that involves is the topic of this episode with Tom Conroy, the new business manager at Grace Eyre. Tom talks about not only his role as the first point of contact and what that can mean from identifying employment opportunities to explaining housing options, but also the challenges of the role. These challenges often occur because people are unaware of their options.