Share and Care Homeshare has been a strong advocate for the benefits of homeshare for more than
15 years, and has built up a strong level of skills, expertise and learning in this area, which we are
always keen to disseminate.
During this time, we have seen first-hand the incredible impact of homesharing across several areas.
First and foremost are of course how beneficial arrangements are for older and younger people. Yet
the benefits extend far beyond, reaching the health and social care sector, and the housing sector –
and having a wider economic benefit on both. For instance, by reducing use on NHS services,
addressing under occupancy in the housing sector, or as a means to overcome sky high rents.
In fact, we believe that homeshare is a vital and neglected component in solving the ever-worsening
crisis in the social care sector, especially as an early preventative support route to help people
remain safe in their home and to support them to live independently.
We are committed to driving change, and one of the ways we do this is to engage with the
Government – most recently on the adult social care reform white paper, ‘People at the Heart of
Care.’ The proposals outlined in the paper are significant steps in moving us towards a new vision
for social care, to offer people choice, and control over the care they receive. It is also to promote
independence and to enable people to live well as part of a community; homeshare aligns perfectly
with this, and we hope our insight and contribution will help shape the vision for the future of social
care.
We believe that homeshare is a key part of the holistic answer to the social care crisis; as a very
unique support route which can be used in ways that other support options cannot. Whilst
homeshare helps reduce loneliness and isolation among older people, it is not exclusive to the older
generation and is used by a wide variety of people of all ages who simply need a little extra help or
companionship such as adults with learning needs, or single parents for example. In situations when
people do need a form of personal care, a homecare package can run alongside; the flexibility of
homeshare means it can easily be attached to other services.
When social care reforms take on the idea of homeshare, and we talk about it more openly, as they
do in mainland Europe or the USA, we will start to see it as something that means everyone can
cope; householders are getting looked after, and equally the householder is also looking after the
sharer. It’s mutually beneficial, with both householder and sharer playing valuable roles.
Share and Care Homeshare will continue to lead conversations in this area, to drive change
effectively, and establish homeshare as a familiar and positive choice for supported living within
local communities.
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