Everyone deserves shelter and a place to lay their head. Sheltered housing is a term covering a wide range of rented housing for older and/or disabled or other vulnerable people. In the United Kingdom most commonly it refers to grouped housing such as a block or “scheme” of flats or bungalows with a scheme manager or “officer”; traditionally the manager has lived on-site although this is not always the case these days. (Managers/officers used to be called “wardens” but this term is now felt to be out of date.)
Sheltered housing schemes in the U.K. are generally owned, run and maintained as social housing by a local authority or housing association.Sheltered housing accommodation is self-contained and easy to manage, ranging from a simple bedsit to a large flat or small house. Such schemes are distinct from a nursing home or care home in that the tenants are usually able to look after themselves, are active and are afforded a degree of independence; equally, sheltered housing differs from retirement housing which is generally leasehold.
