Our Balshagray House Project in Glasgow’s West End supports nineteen people with learning disability, either in the house itself or in independent tenancies nearby. As our longest established residential project, we have been taking steps towards ensuring that the service remains fit for the future. A long period of consultation with service users, potential service users, and families has led to a redevelopment programme which aims to preserve the best aspects of friendship and mutual support that the people who live there and their relatives tell us they want to see continue, while offering the best of modern practice tailored to individual needs.
In 2008 an increase in funding meant we were able to invest heavily in a number of improvements to the service. This involved major changes to staffing including the appointment of a new Supported Living Development Manager, to oversee development across all of our supported living services, and a major increase in support staff and the introduction of waking night cover. In consultation with service users number of physical improvements were also made to both communal living areas and individual bedrooms. This Phase is now substantially complete.
Phase Two aims to provide more independent supported living in a New Urban Community. This will allow us to preserve the best elements of community living and mutual support while allowing people to have more of their own living space, including their own tenancy. The new building will incorporate communal space, and facilities for supported community engagement. The funding model of the proposal is also designed to be affordable for service commissioning agencies, and flexible enough for service users to maximise their own income through use of direct payments or personalised support.
Although the initiative is still in the planning stage, we have now signed an interim service level agreement with West of Scotland Housing Association, which is leading up a feasibility study on our behalf, and are in advanced discussions with service commissioners regarding revenue funding.