Professional Advisors:
Here's a summary of our vision

From Government downwards, all businesses embrace equality, inclusion and choice for people who have a disability. Service models are changing accordingly and as a result, there's a gradual decline in residential care and an increase in living situations that promote control, freedom and choice. In short, we're all doing everything we can to make sure people who have a disability have the same life chances as everybody else.

In terms of housing, in the last few years, we've seen an increase in supported living services for people who have a disability. The vast bulk of accommodation sourced is rented, either in the social or private rented sector. Whilst having your own front door and a housing right protected in law in the form of a tenancy agreement is, in many ways preferable to living in a residential care home, for many people, there is a better alternative. Around 71% of the general population own their own homes and for good reasons. Chief amongst these is the long term security owning your own home affords. Other reasons include more choice about where you live, generally better quality accommodation and control over your personal environment. This is exactly the same as the policy agenda for people who have a disability.

We take the view that if we're serious about social inclusion for disabled people, we need to take home ownership for disabled people seriously.

Shared Ownership for people who have a disability is not a new idea. We estimate roughly 150 people a year move into Shared Ownership homes, with the help of organisations like MENCAP, Golden Lane Housing and Advance Housing. The few evaluations and reports published on the outcomes of this work, in terms of the impact on people's lives, are immensely encouraging.

Our research has also shown many Local Authority and Health Commissioners have included the idea of Shared Ownership in their plans for disability services, although very few have converted their plans into action.

Our basic premise is that if Shared Ownership works well for 150 people a year, then there is no good reason why it should not work well for thousands of people – or indeed for all the people that want it. And it's a vast number - there are 1.1m learning disabled people currently claiming Income Support who might qualify for a Shared Ownership Home.

In summary, if 71% of people live in owner occupied homes, then it's reasonable to expect that 71% of people who have a disability will want to do the same, given the opportunity.

Given the benefits of home ownership, particularly for disabled people, we've looked at the reasons why so few people who have a disability own their own homes. The How It Works page of this website sets out how many disabled people can access the necessary resources to buy a share in their own homes, using a mortgage paid for by State Benefits. The Problem page of the site explains the difficulties that people face if they want to buy their own home. Our mission has been to remove the difficulties and make it as easy as possible for people who have a disability to buy their own homes. Our ultimate aim is to produce the circumstances where market demand, in the form of disabled people with access to resources and the necessary advice and guidance, acts as the impetus for the development of new homes and support services fit for the 21st century.