The charity that empowers young people with learning disabilities to choose where and how they live.

Everyone seems to agree that adults with learning disabilities should have choice and control over their lives.

We know that this is often not the case. We aim to provide resources and guidance to educate and empower young people about future living options. We strive for positive social change so that choice and control become a reality.

We invite you to be part of the story – let’s work together to make this happen.

Who are we?

We are a charity created by families and experts who have direct experience of supporting and guiding young people to make choices about where and how they live. Together we promote the vision of a country where adults with learning disabilities have real choice about where and how they live.

Our first steps will be to provide an interactive digital platform that will enable young people with learning disabilities to self-discover their ambitions with regards to where and how they live and ­provide easy to use signposting and suggestions about the options.

We have made great progress and are getting ready to launch!

Working with young people, families, and practitioners we trialled and proved the concept of the digital platform, and a recent poll tells us that 98% of people who responded agree that the digital resource will be useful.

We will have the opportunity to create an information bank of the needs and wishes of young people with learning disabilities expressed by themselves.  Just imagine the positive impact this information could have … those involved in the provision of care, education and housing will have the evidence they need to plan and deliver their services; policy makers will have the information they need to help get it right in the longer term!

It is looking very exciting!  Our list of supporters is growing rapidly!

Find out more       Get involved

Did you know…

We believe for every young person we help, at least three other people will positively benefit. Just imagine the impact!

All young people should have the opportunity and support to explore and review where and how they live… the outcome may be to live with friends, live with family or live alone… understanding, choice and voice are what matters.

Louise Keevil – Trustee and Acting CEO, Where I want to Live

I just want him to be able to live as independently as possible, and to be safe, and to have people who will look after him and love him. And that’s my biggest worry: what will happen when we’ve gone. It’s the thing that worries me more than anything.

Parent of a child with Speech, Language and Communication Needs.

Most adults with a learning disability want to live independently in the community. 1

40% want to live by themselves

30% want to live with friends

Statistics suggest that people whose first language is not English find it difficult to access services. For example, there are considerably fewer pupils of Asian ethnicity with an EHC plan in UK schools and colleges. 2

29,000 adults with a learning disability live with parents aged 70 or over, many of whom are too old or frail to continue their caring role. 3

Rhys was desperate to do what his siblings had done. Move into a house with friends and become more independent!

There are 325,000 pupils with an Education and Health Care plan in England.
Over the next 18 years, Where I Want to Live will be able to offer guidance to empower each of them to make choices about their adult lives. 4

100+

HOURS A WEEK

1.4% of 6,160 surveyed family carers of an adult with learning disabilities spend 100+ hours a week caring for that person. 5

Follow us on social media:
@WhereIWantToLive

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We are in the early days – you could say we are ‘just getting off the ground’

We will keep you up to date as we progress watch this space

Sources:

1 MENCAP  2016 ‘Housing- what we think’

2 Department for Education – Special educational needs in England, January 2019

3 Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities

Department for Education – Special educational needs in England: January 2021

5 Improving Health and Lives: Learning Disabilities Observatory-People with Learning Disabilities in England, 2015