James is a man in his fifties and lives in his own bungalow in Wigan. He has a learning disability and schizophrenia and receives 24-hour support, with two members of staff during the day and a sleep-in at night.
Before moving to his own home, James spent 17 years in a secure hospital following an offence in the early 2000s. During that time, he lived largely in isolation; at one point he was the only person on his ward.
In 2018, James became one of the first people in Wigan to move into his own home as part of MacIntyre’s Homes Not Hospitals approach, which took around 15 months and involved careful planning. During this time, James and his staff team worked together to understand his likes, dislikes, routines, and the ways his mental health affected him.
Working closely with the local authority and housing provider Empower, a bungalow was identified and adapted to give James both space and privacy he needed. At the same time, a new staff team was recruited and trained by MacIntyre to support James’ move. With specialist input from Positive Behaviour Support and forensic practice leads, the team focused on supporting James in a way that made sense to him.
Seven years on, James is settled and thriving. Staff describe him as funny, engaging, and friendly, and say they look forward to their shifts with him and say he brings laughter and energy to the home every day..
- He makes choices about his own life, including when to get up, what to watch on TV, what to eat, and where to go.
- He is proud of his home, keeps up daily routines like doing the laundry, and enjoys going out for drives and meals.
- He has built connections with people in his local community, including at his local shop and pub.
After a couple of health setbacks, including a broken leg, James is working on rebuilding his strength and mobility. With consistent support and encouragement, he is finding new ways to be a part of his local community.
