What is Supported Living? Hear from the people who call it home

Tuesday 21st of October 2025

For many people, supported living offers the chance to live independently while still having support available when it’s needed. To understand what supported living really means, we spoke with six people living in supported living provided by Avenues.

Here’s what they told us.

Ian explained what life in his house is like: “We’ve all got our own rooms, and we share the kitchen. We share the front room and the dining room. Avenues is a very good company – if you want to come and look around, [you’ll see] it’s a good company to be with.”

“I couldn’t agree more with what he said,” Jamie agreed. “I love the house I live in. It’s peaceful and quiet. I’ve been here nine years.”

Jack lives in Woking with three other people: “We only get staff on our one-to-one days because we’re quite independent.”

In East London, Raz’s home is fitted out with lots of space for his wheelchair. He said: “There are two bungalows. I live with five people. Two kitchens, two dining rooms, two big TVs!”

And in another Avenues home, Edmund and Claudine live with three other people. Edmund said: “I’ve been here five years and I really enjoy it. The staff are very nice and helpful.”

Claudine told us: “I like it here. The staff really do help me a lot.”

Support that fits your life

Everyone we spoke to talked about the ways staff support them to live more independently – whether that’s with medication, cleaning, learning new skills, or planning holidays.

Edmund shared: “Staff help me with medication morning and night, with activities, and with cleaning my flat. I sleep much better now than I did in my old place – no noisy neighbours!”

Jamie said: “The staff help me with my chores and with booking activities like train trips to London and Crawley. They’re helping me book a holiday at the moment – it’s not easy, I can tell you that!”

Jack added: “I just came back from Devon with my partner – we had four nights away, which was really nice. I’m actually off to Tenerife soon!”

For Raz, it’s about having help when he needs it. Staff help when his mobile phone is broken, to get pictures printed and getting a haircut.

Several of the group are also employed by Avenues as Quality Checkers, visiting other people’s homes to assess the quality and identify any necessary repairs.

Finding confidence and independence

When asked what advice they would give anyone new moving into supported living, everyone agreed it is a place where you can grow, learn, and gain confidence.

Jamie said: “Don’t be scared – enjoy every minute of it. It’s a good experience to learn independence, get to know the area, and make friends. When I moved in, I didn’t know anybody but when I got confident, I knew everybody.”

Raz enjoys making choices and taking pride in his home: “I like it because I get my food choices. I grow sunflowers in my garden… and I’m planning on tomatoes in my garden.”

Edmund added: “When I first moved here, I was scared. But now, I just enjoy it.”

Jack summed it up by saying: “It’s important to learn about independent living – and [Avenues] knows how to support people.”

Everyday achievements

But it is not just about daily independent – everyone shared personal achievements they’re proud of since moving into supported living.

Jack shared: “We’ve started batch cooking, and we’ve all got air fryers now!

“I went with my support to get some new glasses because I had an eye test and my eyesight had changed. I got it done when I had the support so if my eyesight had changed they could help me choose glasses and everything like that. I’m actually wearing them now.”

Claudine and Edmund spoke about going to a day space together on Thursday. Edmund said: “Which we really enjoy. They do music and talk a lot.”

Jamie remembered a special moment a few years ago: “So in 2023, I wanted to go to Disneyland Paris, and I got my chance to do that which was amazing. It was amazing because I got to go on the Eurostar from Saint Pancras all the way to Paris and it was magnifique – very good.”

Perhaps the biggest achievement of all was Raz’s. He was supported to go to college to learn English and now proudly says: “I speak very good English!”

The group agreed his English was excellent!

A place to belong

It’s clear from talking to Jamie, Ian, Claudine, Edmund, Jack and Raz that supported living at Avenues isn’t just about housing – it’s about community, choice, and growing confidence.

Whether it’s cooking a meal, planning a holiday, or learning something new, everyone is living life on their own terms, with the right help when they need it.

Jamie summed it up by saying: “It’s a good experience. You’ll learn independence – and you’ll enjoy it.”

 

Find out more about how we support people. 

Looking for support from Avenues? Please see our Support and Accomodation vacancies