Residential care homes
Care homes
If you need support within your own home, we will firstly try to support your independence and provide you with support at home. If this support is not effective, your needs may need to be met in a Care Home.
Some people who require significant support may require their needs to be met in a care home for a short while, especially when they are recovering from an injury or illness, or to give their carer a break.
Please make a self-referral using our portal, which is the quickest and easiest way to make a referral for yourself or the person you care for. If you don't have access to the internet, you can call our Contact Centre on 01702 215008.
Following an assessment, we can work with you to identify a care home or service that meets your needs and where you think you will feel at home.
CQC
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects health and social care services to ensure that they provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and they encourage and require care services to improve.
They monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure homes meet the fundamental standards of quality and safety and they publish what they find, including performance ratings to help people choose care. To view CQC ratings and information about our registered care homes please see the CQC website.
Applying for sheltered housing
If you are over the age of 60 and you are a resident of Southend-on-Sea, you may be eligible for Sheltered Housing.
Properties in schemes designated as sheltered housing by the Council will only be available to households who meet the requirements for this type of accommodation, e.g. the age threshold.
Applicants for sheltered housing will be subject to an assessment by the Council to establish the prospective tenant's suitability to live in their chosen Sheltered Housing community.
If you are over the age of 60 and you are a resident in the city of Southend-on-Sea, you may be eligible for Sheltered Housing.
Consideration is also given to people who have a local connection as defined within the Council's Allocation Policy.
If you are interested in living in one of the sheltered housing schemes managed by South Essex Homes, firstly you need to register your details and be accepted on the Council's Housing Register. Once you are registered, you can bid for properties which interest you.
Please visit the Council's On the Move website to start this process.
Don't worry if you don't have internet access or you require assistance, you can contact the Hub located in Southend Victoria Plaza or reach them on 01702 611199.
You're also able to get assistance from the Citizens Advice service in Southend Church Road, Southend or reach them on 03444770808.
If you are an existing tenant of Southend-on-Sea City Council living in a general needs property, then you can also contact our Housing Support Team on 0800 833 160 who will be happy to advise you on the next steps. If you wish to down-size into a sheltered property, you may also be eligible for financial assistance to do so through our Tenant's Incentive Scheme – you can find out more on the "downsizing" page.
Extra Care Housing
Extra Care Housing consists of properties predominantly for older people but also for younger people with mental health, learning or physical disabilities, where additional support and social care services are required.
Allocation to Extra Care Housing will not be advertised through Choice Based Lettings but will be made via Direct Let as decided by a dedicated allocation panel. Allocations through this panel will be based on an assessment of the level of support and care required by the applicant.
The eligibility for these units is that the occupant must be in receipt of some form of disability allowance. There are 30 units of extra care housing - 15 units at Westwood in Eastwood Old Road, Leigh on Sea and 15 units at Longmans in Rampart Street, Shoeburyness. These units have access to the following facilities:
- personal care (provided 24 hours a day, seven days per week)
- a personal alarm system linked to the on-site care provider
- secure entry system
- communal lounge
Please note that extra care sheltered housing is allocated separately through Adult Social Care. You can contact them via their referral portal, which is the fastest and easiest way, but if you don't have internet access, you can call Southend-on-Sea City Council's Contact Centre on 01702 215008.
If you are currently renting a property from Southend-on-Sea City Council, contact your Tenancy Services Officer at South Essex Homes who will be able to give you advice or assistance, call 0800 833 160 to reach your Tenancy Services Officer.