As you grow up in to and past your teenage years you will begin to be more independent, this means that you need less support from your family and friends to do things in life. It is important that you are independent before you start thinking about living on your own, or with someone else.  Some of the things you may now be doing, or starting to do, independently are:

• Looking after yourself (for example knowing when to have a wash, managing your day, eating when you need to)
• Managing your money (for example, you might have your own bank account or card that you use.) More information about managing money is available here.
• Keeping yourself safe when out in the community and online. (more information about online safety can be found here)
• Cooking for yourself or others (including making a shopping list and going to the shops)
• Cleaning your clothes when they have been worn
• Thinking about moving out of your family home
• Using public transport
• Going to work or volunteering in the community
• Meeting friends in the community

All of these are called 'Life Skills'. 

There are different types of housing options available to you as you begin to think about where you would like to live. It is important you think about these options, and it would be a good idea to have a conversation with a trusted adult about your options.

Social housing renting

• this type of housing has to be applied for and housing is allocated based on need and priority
• landlords are regulated and governed by set standards
• generally the tenancy is very secure and rents are set at a level which reflects housing benefits
• unfortunately, demand greatly exceeds supply

Private renting

• private landlords are not concerned with allocation or priority of need
• there is more choice over property and location - this can mean less security of tenancy
• private rent can be more expensive - housing benefit may not cover all the cost
• some landlords do not rent to people on housing benefits

Private sector leasing

• an option that brings together the benefits of social and private housing
• tenants are protected because the housing associations are regulated
• there is no allocation process

Shared ownership

• helps people with limited funds to buy a property
• uses the support for mortgage ownership and home ownership long-term disability guidelines
• to be eligible for this option, you must:
  • have a long-term disability
  • have a housing need
  • claim higher rate care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are within the employment support group

Home Ownership for people with Long-term Disabilities (HOLD)

Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities (HOLD) is not a separate housing product but a route into shared ownership. Applicants should apply for affordable home ownership assistance in the standard way, through their local Help to Buy Agent, and must meet the Agency’s general eligibility criteria (that is, they should be first time buyers or be defined as being in housing need) with a household income of less than £80,000 per year or no more than £90,000 for London. The most up to date information about HOLD can be found on their website here.

You do not want your new home to be a lonely experience, especially if you find it hard to make new friends. So your first step into living away from the family home, could be done as a small group of friends living together.

It can be really good living with a small group of friends, but living with a friend can be very different.  Having the chance to live together for short periods of time can help you and the group decide:

• if you would like to live together
• which household jobs you will need to share
• what house rules you might like to put in place and
• what support you might need

Whatever type of housing you choose, you will need to pay for it.  This might be by:

• rent - weekly or monthly
• a mortgage - which is money you have borrowed from a bank or building society to buy your home and have to repay, usually monthly

The money you need to pay for your housing, is likely to come from a variety of sources including:

• wages - income from a paid job
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Universal Credit

Read more about managing your money

Hoovering, dusting, washing your clothes and making your bed - these are just some of the things that you may need to learn how to do. 

Our homes also need to be healthy, so it is good to know how to prevent germs from spreading.

You may might need support, changes and adaptations made to your home, to enable you to live independently. These changes would help your home be safer and more suitable in supporting your needs, this can range from adding in a hand rail to a bigger piece of work requiring more money and builders.

You might need to apply for a money grant to help pay for this. You can find out more about these grants here.

You might want to sign up to a course to learn cooking and baking skills or have a look at some YouTube videos on how to cook.

Popular recipes include:

• broccoli and cheese pasta bake
• sausages with leeks and sweet potato mash
• italian chicken, mozzarella and vegetable bake
• vegan sweet potato chilli
• butternut squash and sage gnocchi
• ultimate sticky chocolate pudding
• pulled pork and bean burrito bowls

Food hygiene

It is also important to make sure that the food you cook is safe to eat:

• ten ways to prevent food poisoning
• how to prepare and cook food safely
• how to store food and leftovers
• food labelling

As you are becoming more independent you will need to think about you will travel and get to and from places safely.

You have a few options, you could:

• learn to drive - their is more information available on learning to drive here,
• ask a family member or friend for a lift
• pay for a taxi
• use public transport (for example a bus or train)
• walk 
• cycle

You might be eligible for a disabled person's bus pass. You must be over 5 years of age and meet one of the following:

• be blind or partially sighted
• be profoundly or severely deaf
• be without speech
• have a disability, or injury, which has a substantial and long-term effect on your ability to walk
• have no arms or have long-term loss of the use of both arms
• have a learning disability, that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind that started before adulthood and includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning
•  would be refused a licence to drive a motor vehicle, should an application be made under Part III of the Road Transport Act 1988, under section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the grounds of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol

More about disabled person's bus pass and how to apply can be found here.

You may also be eligible for a Blue Badge, you can apply for a Blue Badge if you:

• receive the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance (HRMCDLA)
• receive the moving around descriptor for the Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) with a score of 8 or more points
• receive the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment with a score of 10 points specifically for Descriptor E, the “planning and following journeys” activity on the grounds undertaking any journey would cause overwhelming psychological distress
• are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
• receive a War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement (WMPS)
• have been awarded a lump sum benefit at tariffs 1-8 of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
• are certified as having an enduring and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking

You can find out more about Blue Badges and apply here.

Disabled persons railcard - saving you 1/3 of the cost of travel and includes discounts and offers on days out.

Beach wheelchairs for hire - a map to show you the beaches with wheelchair hire availability. 

'Please offer me a seat' (Transport for London) - If you struggle to stand while using public transport, there is a free badge and card available to help you alert fellow customers that you need a seat

Milton Keynes Centre for Integrated Living

The organisation was opened as a charity set up to support people with a disability in 1992. Originally called Milton Keynes Disability Information Service the organisation later changed its name to Milton Keynes Centre for Integrated Living. Originally set up to provide information, advice and support to people with a disability about equipment, MK CIL had an adapted flat that allowed people to look around and see what equipment was available to them.

Their website has information on:

• Advice services 
• Disability equipment 
• Room hire 
• Directory 
• News and information 
• Training services 

Carers MK 

Carers MK runs a varied programme of training and workshops for carers. These range from practical skills such as first aid and manual handling through to workshops on particular health conditions. For more information please see MK Carers Training and Workshops