Choosing and planning where to live
Things to consider when you’re thinking about leaving home.
Thinking of leaving home but don't know where to start?
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
What do I dislike about where I live now? (if anything)
Would I rather stay where I am, or live somewhere else?
What kind of home do I want?
Do I need to be near friends, family, or carers?
Do I want to be more independent?
Who do I want to live with? (If anyone.)
What kind of area do I want to live in?
Do I need to be near transport or shops?
How soon do I need or want to move?
What can I afford?
What support will I need to make it work?
Think about these questions or discuss them with a friend or your family. It will help you to narrow down your choices and make a plan.
Once you have an idea of what you want from your housing, take a look at our information about the different housing options, to see what might be a good fit for you.
Planning your move
Whichever housing option you choose, the sooner you can start planning, the better. It could take several years to organize the kind of housing you want. You may need to be persistent. You may need to compromise.
The things you need to do will be different depending on the kinds of housing you want but the following list is a good place to start.
Click to show more information 
Talk to people who can help
If you have a social worker or a transition worker, tell them you are thinking about living independently. If you don’t have a social worker, ask social services to find someone you can talk to. If you have an Education, Health and Care Plan, you can start talking about housing options in your Annual Review meeting from Year 9 onwards.
At the bottom of this page is a list of some local and national organisations you could get advice and information from as well.
Do your research
Find out about the housing and support for disabled people currently being provided in your area by the local authority and whether you will be eligible. This will help you to be realistic about what you might get.
- Easy Read: Brighton housing and support options
- East Sussex supported housing and care homes
- Care Choices – find care homes, care providers, information and guidance
Try and hear from other people who have made the move already. If you don’t know anyone, you can look at these stories of people finding their homes on Learning Disability England website.
Ask for an assessment of your needs
Contact your local Adult Social Care to ask for an assessment. You will need this to be eligible for some kinds of housing and support, like Supported Living or Shared Lives.
Check your benefits
You’ll need to know what benefits you can get to help with your housing and support costs.
You can use the Turn2us Benefits Calculator to see which benefits you might be able to get. The website MoneyHelper has a guide to supporting yourself financially for young adults aged 16 to 24.
Amaze can support you with claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) if you are under 25. Learn more: help with DLA and PIP.
Work out how much you will need to pay towards housing and support
As well as your social care assessment, the local authority will also do a financial assessment to work out how much of your money or benefits you will need to contribute to your housing and support. You will need this information to work out how much personal income you will have to live on.
Consider if your house needs changes to make it accessible
You can apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant to help adapt your current home or a new home to your needs, for example if you are a wheelchair user. This can be used to adapt a private property or social housing.
Why am I leaving?