A care home in Walthamstow could be converted into supported living accommodation for young adults, under plans now with Waltham Forest Council.
The scheme would see four 18-year-olds living together as a single household in Grove Road, with help from carers. According to a planning statement submitted to the council, they would share the kitchen, lounge, dining areas, bathrooms and garden, take part in shopping, meal preparation and domestic tasks, and join household meetings and shared activities.
The care would be provided "within an ordinary domestic environment by non-resident staff", the statement says, with the staff role focused on supporting "residents in developing and maintaining independent living skills" rather than supervising them within an institutional setting.
The service, to be named Grove Harmony House, would be run by Yasmin Beebeejaun, who registered as a mental health nurse in 1976.
"A great deal of [harm] is preventable with the right environment and the right people around someone," she said in a letter of support submitted to the council. "That is the gap I want Grove Harmony House to help close, in a small way, for a small number of people, here in the borough where I have lived and worked."
A local supply gap
Beebeejaun argued that the conversion would help meet a shortfall the council has already acknowledged.
"Waltham Forest has itself recognised that demand for suitable supported living accommodation exceeds local supply, with some residents consequently being placed outside the borough," she wrote.
"In my view, where a person's needs can be safely and appropriately met locally, it is far better for them to remain close to their existing community, family, healthcare professionals and support networks rather than being placed elsewhere simply because suitable accommodation is unavailable."
She added that increasing good-quality local provision "can also reduce reliance on out-of-borough placements and the additional practical and financial pressures that can come with them", describing the scheme as "a small but meaningful contribution towards meeting that local need".
The financial backdrop
That argument lands against a difficult budget picture. Waltham Forest Council borrowed £19million from the government in February to offset a budget shortfall of £31m, largely caused by the cost of social care.
Council figures show the cost of adult social care has risen by 13 percent since 2023/24, and providers going out of business left the town hall with what it described as "expensive" alternatives.
A decision on the Grove Road scheme is due by mid-October.
