£10m assisted living project offers transformational change for vulnerable

Liverpool is to see the launch of a pioneering £10m project pipeline that will provide assisted living and training to help people with mental health issues get a foothold back into society.

Generation Living is a new venture and is a partner organisation of Bootle-based training provider Training Strategies (TSL), one of the biggest providers of apprenticeships and pre-employment training in the North West.

Traditional assisted living models have been around for many years. They provide accommodation for people with disabilities or prolonged mental health issues, along with a level of support provided by a registered care provider.

However, according to head of safeguarding at Generation Living, Victoria Deacon, too many assisted living projects offer no more than basic support and don’t actually provide a route to a more independent and sustainable life.

She explained: “Many projects are well-intended, but often the support only goes as far as making sure a resident is looking after themselves – things such as making sure they are taking medication or they have enough food.

“Our model will go much further than that.

“Utilising our expertise as a training provider, we want to offer people a purpose-built, secure place to live and a range of skills to enable them to lead more fulfilling lives.

“Often they feel excluded from society, even under assisted living. We aim to change that.”

Generation Living has already secured three properties in North Liverpool which, in total, will offer accommodation and training for more than 30 people.

One of the projects also includes a number of commercial units and Generation Living is in discussions with occupiers about offering employment or placement opportunities for its service users.

Victoria added: “We believe this is a genuinely transformational model and a new blueprint for assisted living across the UK.

“We are combining social housing with individualised programmes that provide personal development and work-related skills.

“It is a collaborative programme that will see us work with care providers, social housing providers, local authorities and local businesses to bring people who have been excluded back into the community.”