A DROITWICH housing director has been awarded a grant of more than £6,000 to research innovative housing and care for people with learning disabilities.
Sophie Atkinson, currently a director of a Worcester-based housing association, has received £6,230 from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust to fund her research project.
The 39-year-old is set to travel to the US and Canada for five weeks in the autumn to research ways of giving people with learning disabilities choice and security in where they live and to support housing providers to develop financially sustainable schemes.
Sophie, who is also a qualified solicitor, said: “Many adults with learning disabilities still live at home with their elderly parents who worry about what will happen to their children when they pass away.
“We need to work to create a variety of different types of housing models that are suitable for the needs of everyone and to make sure that no-one is left unsupported and alone.
“The US, in particular, has a number of village based communities that run along the lines of a university campus with clusters of housing, community facilities and support.
“This is what I will be exploring to see whether this type of accommodation could work in the UK.”
As part of the project, Sophie will write a report on her findings to share with the trust and various housing associations in the UK.
