Mental health
Your goals, routines and relationships matter. We explore housing and practical support for adults with mental health needs, with space to build confidence at your own pace.
Start with the person
A good next step might be a supported home, help after a hospital stay or visiting support where you already live. We discuss the setting and support that could fit your assessed needs, preferences and funding.
Progress can mean maintaining stability as well as learning something new.
Mental health can affect different parts of everyday life. Someone may feel confident with some tasks and need regular help with others. A referral looks at that whole picture, including the person’s strengths, relationships and the things they want to change.
SLS supports adults aged 18 and over. A diagnosis or previous hospital admission does not, by itself, determine whether a particular service will be suitable. The home, support needs and funding are considered together.
Everyday support
These are the areas to explore with us. The specific help, adjustments and staff arrangements are agreed through assessment and your support plan.
Support can start with the everyday tasks that have become difficult or feel overwhelming. We discuss what you already manage, where prompts or practical help would be useful, and how to build a routine you can keep using.
Your support plan can describe how staff help you follow the arrangements agreed with your health professionals. That includes how you like to be approached if you seem less well and who should be contacted when needs change.
Some people manage their medication independently; others need agreed assistance. Assessment establishes the support required, the staff responsibilities and any specialist input. Prescribing and treatment decisions remain with the relevant healthcare professionals.
Having a home also means keeping on top of letters, bills, repairs and the responsibilities in your housing agreement. We discuss the practical help you need to understand these tasks and stay involved in decisions about your money.
A settled life includes the people and activities you value. Support can focus on reconnecting with an interest, keeping in contact with someone important or taking a manageable first step into a local activity.
Your next step may be a course, volunteering, work or a goal closer to home. We start with your interests and current circumstances. A useful goal is something that matters to you, with an achievable way to begin.
The right setting
The right setting needs to work on difficult days as well as good ones. Look at privacy, shared spaces, the neighbourhood and how you would reach the people and services already important in your life.
Compare homes and locationsExplore homes described as self-contained in the directory. Confirm the exact facilities, access and support arrangement for the property you are considering.
Other homes offer bedrooms or accommodation with some shared facilities. Ask which spaces are private, what is shared and how everyday arrangements work.
Floating support offers planned visits in East and South London. Discuss local coverage, visit arrangements and whether the service can meet your assessed needs.
Explore floating supportThese existing service descriptions include mental health and forensic referrals. Explore their accommodation, then confirm current availability and individual suitability with the team.
Wandsworth, South West London
Fourteen fully furnished, self-contained one-bedroom flats.
View this home
Stratford, Newham, East London
Five fully furnished one-bedroom flats for male residents.
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Hackney, East London
Five fully furnished bedrooms in a high-quality shared home.
View this homeReferral and assessment
We bring together your own account and relevant information from the people supporting you. This helps identify what a proposed service would need to provide, rather than relying on a diagnosis or a short referral summary alone.
Start with a brief enquiry. Keep clinical reports, detailed risk information and identity documents for the secure sharing arrangements explained by the referrals team.
Information for professionalsA transition is planned around the person, suitable availability and the arrangements agreed with everyone involved.
Arrange a visit where a potentially suitable home is available. Look at the space, meet staff and discuss the parts of a move that feel reassuring or uncertain.
Agree who shares the current plans, confirms health contacts and coordinates any move from hospital or another service. The move needs to fit the wider care arrangements.
Talk through essential belongings, food, medication arrangements, appointments and the people you want to contact. Establish how you will ask for help.
Agree when to talk about settling in, which parts of the plan are working and where support should change. A move is the start of a conversation, not the end of it.
A plan you understand
Your housing agreement and care or support plan cover different things. Before a placement begins, you should understand the help included, who provides it and how it will be paid for.
An example to discuss
“I want to feel more comfortable shopping for myself.”
You can tell us who you want involved and how you would like them to contribute. Familiar people may help explain your routines, recognise changes or support a visit, while your own wishes remain central.
A review should ask whether support is making everyday life work better for you. Maintaining a home, a routine or a relationship can matter just as much as learning a new skill.
Your questions
No. A supported home is a place to live with an agreed support arrangement. It does not replace hospital treatment or the clinical input a person needs. The referral process establishes whether a community setting is appropriate and which health professionals will continue to provide treatment or specialist care.
Yes, you or your hospital team can make an initial enquiry. Any proposed move needs a suitable available home, assessment and agreement about support, funding and the discharge arrangements. An enquiry does not confirm a discharge date or an offer of accommodation.
SLS has a floating support service in East and South London. It provides planned visiting support in a person’s existing home. Contact referrals to discuss your address, the tasks you need help with, visit arrangements and funding. The team will confirm whether coverage and a suitable package are available.
This depends on the particular service and funded staffing arrangement. Ask whether support is on site, visiting or available through an on-call route, and how evenings, nights and weekends are covered. These are different arrangements and should be clearly explained before a placement is agreed.
Tell us about all the needs that affect your daily life, including physical health or substance-use support where relevant. The assessment considers them together. Any additional expertise, healthcare or specialist support must be identified and agreed for the proposed service.
No. The discussion starts with the help you need now and the goals you choose. The amount and type of support must be suitable for the service and agreed in your plan. Support can focus on maintaining stability as well as developing skills; a fixed move-on deadline is not assumed.
You, a family member or a professional can contact referrals on 07398 038 240, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Explain the urgency of a proposed placement when you call. Referral enquiries are not a crisis response; use the urgent mental health guidance linked below if you need immediate support.
The whole person
You do not need to fit into one category. These pages may also be helpful.
Explore independent information from the NHS and NICE.
A conversation is a good place to start
Tell us what matters to you, where you would like to live and the support you need.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Send a brief enquiry first. We’ll explain how to share any supporting documents.