Independent living
Independent living can include:
- owning or renting your own house
- council or housing association accommodation
- sharing a house with people you do or do not know
Independent living gives you more time to yourself to organise and manage your own time and affairs.
But, some people can find this difficult, especially with the lack of structured social support. Because of this, people living independently often choose to live somewhere where their social and support network is strong, for instance near the family.
Living independently can be expensive and you should consider how you will fund both the housing itself and weekly living costs.
You should take into account costs for:
- Electricity and gas
- water
- council tax, if you have to pay this – there are a number of exemptions that may apply if you have a severe mental illness, contact the national advice service for further information
- food and drink
- cleaning and home maintenance
- travel expenses
- clothing
- social expenses
A Citizens Advice bureau may be able to help you calculate your income and expenditure and help you maximise the money that you have coming in. If you are not already living independently, you may have to wait until suitable housing becomes available. You will need to register with your local housing office to be accepted for council housing and even then, housing lists can often be long.
Registering with local housing associations is another option. Once again, there can be long waiting lists and often people on the housing register will take priority.
