Sheltered housing accommodation schemes offer accommodation for people aged 55 and over, with preference given to those who are over 60. Schemes are varied throughout the borough offering different types of accommodation. They are not supported housing, nursing or residential care homes.
Sheltered Housing offers more than fully independent living, with benefits such as communal spaces and opportunities to connect with others.
Each tenant has their own apartment or bungalow with their own front door and tenants can be involved in the scheme community as little or as much as they like.
We also have developments of separate bungalows or flats and they may have a lounge, laundry or other communal facilities that are separate to their property.
Services and facilities
Services and facilities vary depending on the chosen scheme and will need to be checked with the specific provider, but may include:
- A 24 hour emergency call system in each apartment or bungalow
- Communal spaces and social activities such as community coffee mornings, bingo, lunches and special events
- Many schemes have communal laundries and lounges, as well as guest bedrooms to enable family to visit
- Daily wellbeing check in’s through the ‘I’m ok’ system
- Technology in the property to connect you to staff who can get you the appropriate help you need or send someone to your property to check that you’re okay
- Sheltered housing staff availability Monday to Friday, with their working hours clearly displayed.
Applying for a home
To apply for sheltered accommodation you need to join the housing register:
Once you are on the housing register, we can either find you a home in one of the schemes we run or we can nominate you to have a home run by other housing associations in the borough.
If you are already on the housing register and you are looking for a council-owned property then you can start your search for suitable properties (external link).
What homes are available?
Properties available are either run by:
- Wigan Council or;
- Various housing associations.
There are development schemes of bungalows, apartments and studio flats located throughout the borough. You may wish to visit them to see if they’re right for you.
Before you’re offered a tenancy, you will be contacted to make sure the housing you have chosen meets your needs. This involves us completing a suitability assessment with you. During the suitability assessment, will talk to you about the scheme, make sure you understand the services offered and find out how you would benefit from sheltered housing.
Sometimes, we may feel you may not be suitable for sheltered housing. This may be because the particular scheme isn’t a good fit for you or that there is no clear benefit for you in living in sheltered housing. We will always discuss this with you so you are able to understand our decision and reasons.
Advice and support if you're an existing tenant
We always ensure that there is a member of the sheltered housing team available to help you between 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays or a short period over Christmas where we close down.
Staff may cover more than one scheme so won’t always be present on site. If you would like to speak to someone and your scheme manager is not on site, you can contact us using our online form. We will then arrange for a member of staff contact you.
If you have an emergency at any time you should pull your cord or press your pendant. Your call will be answered by a member of our team if they are on duty or our contracted provider, MEDEQUIP, at all other times. They will liaise with you over the speaker system, contact family or friends or will send a responder to your property to help you.
Comments, compliments or complaints
If you would like to provide any feedback or compliment a member of staff within the service, or if you are unhappy with the service you have received and would like to make a complaint, you can: