Families 'devastated' as housing for adults with learning disabilities announces shock closure

  • The assisted living site in Sussex is due to close in three months' time, ITV News Meridian reporter Chlöe Oliver reports

Families have been told they have three months to find their loved ones a new place to live after a supported housing complex for adults with learning disabilities announced it's to close.

Hft Sussex is a charity that supports people with many different types of learning disabilities across the country and has Princess Anne as its patron.

Charity bosses say it's been a 'difficult decision' but running the site in Walberton in Sussex, near Arundel, is no longer financially viable.

Mark Owen has lived in the supported housing at Walberton for six years Credit: ITV Meridian

Peter Owens, from Emsworth, says the news is deeply upsetting for his son Mark who has autism and Down's Syndrome.

He told ITV News Meridian he "varies from being angry to feeling sad (that) they didn’t consult anybody.

"It was a letter out of the blue...Mark loves it there. He’s settled.

"He’s not settled anywhere else and you feel like its a home for life and its not which is the crunch matter.”

Mark’s family live in Emsworth in Hampshire, which is a 30 minute drive away from his current home.

However, if the Walberton site closes, it’s likely Mark will have to move further away and his family are worried about the whole relocation process.

  • Peter's son quickly fell in love with the Walberton site and he says the upheaval will be unsettling for Mark and other residents

The charity has had some residents living on its site for more than 50 years, since they were 17-years-old.

Some residents spoke to ITV News Meridian while we were filming and told us they were extremely upset at news of its closure.

Peter Snelling is Chief Care and Support Officer for Hft and has apologised to staff and residents affected by the closure.

He says it’s also about a changing attitude: moving away from a private complex like Walberton to merging care in the community.

Bosses at the Hft Sussex charity say the closure has been 'a difficult decision' Credit: ITV Meridian

He continues: “West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has begun the process of working with the people we support and their families to identify new care and support providers, and a new location. We understand this is a very unsettling time for the people we support at Walberton, their families and our colleagues."

A protest was held earlier this month by users and their families against plans to move residents where bosses came to meet with residents.

If no solutions are provided within three months, residents will have no choice but to move out and find a new place to call home by Christmas.

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