Guides

Supported living for adults living with mental ill health.

Supported living for mental health is support in a person’s own home, under their own tenancy, when enduring mental ill health makes it hard to keep a home, look after health and take part in community life. Housing stays separate from support. Lintern Care is not a hospital, crisis service or Mental Health Act detention service.

Supported living in West Essex Who we support

What this support is for

Some people live with mental ill health that does not go away with a short course of treatment. They may still want an ordinary home and an ordinary week. Support is there to make that possible, without taking the home or the choices away.

Lintern Care’s supported living and community support is for adults aged 18 and over in Uttlesford, Epping Forest and Harlow. The person leads. Families, advocates and professionals can be part of the plan where the person wants that.

What it can look like

Keeping a home
Help with a tenancy, bills, shopping, cooking, cleaning and the ordinary jobs that keep a home going when energy, mood or organisation make those things hard.
Health and appointments
Support to get to the GP, pharmacy, community mental health team or hospital, and to keep medicines and health checks as part of the week—not as a crisis response.
Community life
Support to stay in touch with people who matter, and to take part in work, volunteering, learning, leisure or a place of faith—at the person’s pace.

Supported living, or a few hours in the community

Some people need support in a supported living arrangement: their own tenancy, with hours that can include evenings, nights or 24-hour support where that is assessed and commissioned. Read how supported living works.

Others do not live in a supported living scheme, but still need reliable help at home and out in the community. That is community and outreach support—often a few hours a week upwards, shaped around daily life rather than a building’s rota.

What this is not

Search results in Essex often mix hospitals, crisis houses, residential care and supported housing. They are different from supported living.

Not a Mental Health Act detention service, hospital or 136 suite
Not a crisis service, crisis house or emergency response
Not a care home, and not accommodation provided by Lintern Care
Not a children’s, 16–18 or older-people service
Not a service where substance misuse or dementia is the primary need

If someone’s needs sit outside our competence, geography or staffing, we say so. That is better than taking on support we cannot do well. See who we support.

If someone needs urgent help

Lintern Care is not a crisis service. If you or someone else is in a mental health crisis, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. Call 999 if life is at risk.

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust explains the 111 mental health option here: Need help urgently — EPUT.

How people usually access support in Essex

Most people need a social care assessment from Essex County Council Adult Social Care. The Council can say whether supported living or community support is a good option. A family member or friend can be part of that conversation.

Start with the Council’s pages rather than a provider summary: Supported living — Essex County Council and support for adults, which also explains how to get urgent mental health help.

How Lintern Care approaches this

We provide the support, not the housing. Plans are written with the person, around their day. People are supported by a small, consistent team, so change is noticed by people who already know them.

Keeping someone safe should not mean making their life smaller. We use the least restrictive option and treat rights as part of safety. Read how we work if you want the method in more detail.

Questions people often ask

Is this supported living for mental health?

Yes, for adults aged 18 and over living with enduring mental ill health who need help to keep a tenancy, look after their health and take part in community life. We work in West Essex: Harlow, Epping Forest and Uttlesford.

Are you a Mental Health Act detention service?

No. We are not a hospital, a section, a 136 suite or a service for people detained under the Mental Health Act. Support is in the person’s own home, under their own tenancy.

What if someone is in crisis?

Lintern Care is not a crisis service. If you or someone else needs urgent mental health help, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. Call 999 if life is at risk.

Is this a care home or mental health housing?

No. Lintern Care does not provide accommodation. In supported living the person has their own tenancy with a separate landlord. Changing support should not mean losing a home.

Can support be a few hours a week?

Yes. Some people live in a supported living arrangement. Others need outreach hours at home and in the community, without living in a supported living scheme. Hours follow the person’s assessed plan.

What if the person is also autistic or has a learning disability?

Associated needs can sit in the same plan where we can meet them safely in the person’s own home. We do not treat people as a diagnosis first.

Tell us what good support would look like

If you are looking for support in Uttlesford, Epping Forest or Harlow, we would like to understand what matters to you. Families, advocates and professionals are welcome to contact us too.

Email office@lintern.care

This opens the email app on your phone or computer. The message is not sent through this website.

Or read the contact page

Please do not include medical information, identification documents or other sensitive personal details in an email.