A £4m investment by Housing Hartlepool, which will provide affordable accommodation that promotes independent living, has been completed and will soon welcome its first residents.
Winford House in Billingham Town Centre boasts 38 one and two bedroom apartments, which are exclusively for over 55s who will have access to an onsite care support service, around the clock.
Housing Hartlepool, part of the Thirteen Group, has developed Winford House in partnership with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council with support from Hartlepool and Stockton Clinical Commissioning Group. The Homes and Communities Agency supported the scheme with a £457,500 grant.
The supported housing scheme, which was built by Keepmoat, features a communal lounge and garden, assisted bathroom, car park, a storage area for mobility scooters and wheelchairs, as well as offices and facilities for members of support staff.
Appliances including ovens, fridge-freezers and washer-driers come as standard with the apartments, which also include a walk-in shower and warden call system to give residents the freedom to live independently, safe in the knowledge that help is nearby if required.
The site offers properties for affordable rent as well as five apartments for outright sale and a further five for shared ownership. Two bedroom apartments on the site, which is named after a local farm established in the late 1800s, can be bought for £108,500 and a one bedroom apartment for £98,500.
Martin Hawthorne, Group Director of Development and Regeneration at Thirteen Group, the parent company of Housing Hartlepool, said: “The new homes have been developed to a really high standard and offer support on site if needed and the convenient location close to the town centre means this is a great opportunity for people to live independently.
“We are pleased to be able to continue to build new homes like those at the Winford House development which provide our customers with the option to either buy or rent their new home.”
Leader of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, Councillor Bob Cook, said: “This development is an excellent example of what can be achieved through partnership working. There is a strong need for independent accommodation for older people across the Borough and Winford House will give local people greater choice and the opportunity to continue to live independently in their own homes for longer.”
If you are aged over 55 and would be interested in finding out more about rental options in Winford House please telephone 01642 526683. The allocation of rental properties will be subject to an individual social care assessment.