For this blog series, we invited people who draw on care and support – who are also members of National Co-production Advisory Group – to reflect on the Making It Real statements.
In today’s blog, Rich Amos talks about the statement ‘I have a place I can call home, not just a ‘bed’ or somewhere that provides me with care.’
Why is this statement important to you?
In recent years, I’ve gone through quite a lot personally, which has led me to encounter the workings of the housing system. In the summer of 2023, I moved into my own bungalow, and I believe the importance of having a home to yourself is rooted in wellbeing and security because a home to me is a sanctuary. It is that space for people to truly be themselves—to entertain, and to be able to live in peace and comfort.
This I statement is also closely connected with another that means a lot to me, ‘I live in a home which is accessible and designed so that I can be as independent as possible.’ Being a wheelchair user, it is my belief that it is the environment of society that disables me, so having a home where I can truly be myself and where I don’t have any limitations is essential.
When it comes to independence, that’s a term that I’d like to turn on its head by asking, who is truly independent? As humans we are always dependent on certain outside factors, so I prefer to call it interdependence — people working alongside each other to achieve things. My home provides me with the space to do that.
Can you think of a time that you’ve felt this statement was really true for you in your life?
Since I moved into my new purpose-built accessible bungalow, this statement really epitomises how I feel. Formerly an abandoned children’s home, the property was redeveloped into 12 affordable rent and social housing homes. I don’t have any limitations in terms of what I can do in my home now and I feel able to accomplish what I want to do, but it is also a place that I can call my sanctuary.
As a wheelchair user requiring 24-hour support, my home facilitates the way I live in terms of having an overhead hoist installed, a suitable wet room and a fitted kitchen that has been adapted for me to use. Aside from the practical things, now I have my own space, this summer I’ve invested in my passion for gardening and I’m growing sunflowers, which are a symbol of my girlfriend who passed away (I wonder what she would think of me being green-fingered!?). The occupants of the 12 properties here have also formed a vibrant and supportive community, so that’s great too.
I feel that my living situation is now close to the vision of Social Care Future, “We all want to live in a place we call home with the people and things we love, in communities where we look out for one another, doing the things that matter to us.”
What might you like to change in your life that could help this statement work even better?
I often find myself having to explain to people that I have my own place and have my own tenancy. The fact that I have the simple necessity of a roof over my head and a place to call home shouldn’t be seen as extraordinary. I think a change in society’s perception of how and where people, who draw on care and support, can choose to live their lives, would make a big difference. The work that I’m contributing towards TLAP by being a member of NCAG is reframing that public narrative.
What kinds of things do you think people who work in care and support should have in mind when thinking about this statement?
I would urge people working in care and support to keep in mind the importance of this statement. When I was living in a different local authority, I had a very different experience to the one I have now. I was stripped of my own personal budget, and was forced into a shared care arrangement where I lived with people I didn’t choose to live with.
Sixty percent of my overall support was shared care, which meant my bedroom became my living room and the only space in that bungalow that I could call my own. I felt like a prisoner in my own home.
As well as the Making It Real I statements, people working in care and support need to work closely with the principles of the Care Act 2014. In my experience, the wellbeing principles of the act aren’t always treated as equally important as logistical things like having support to get out of bed. A more holistic approach from local authorities can support people to have increased control over their day-to-day lives, including participation in work, education, training or recreation, the wellbeing principle also focuses on the suitability of living accommodation, and a person’s contribution to society.
These are parts of life that everyone has the right to experience, in their own way, making their own choices. I know that this makes a big difference to my life and the way that I live it.
Learn more by exploring the other Making It Real statements or downloading the Making It Real Guide.
