Can People Living in Supported Accommodation Integrate with the Wider Community?
Supported accommodation is too often hidden away, designed to blend in or avoid community resistance. But integration matters. When residents are part of the community — not separated from it — outcomes improve for everyone. At Goldfinch, we believe supported housing should not only provide safety, but also a sense of belonging. This blog reflects on the barriers and the opportunities we’ve seen in practice.
In many developments, supported housing is positioned discreetly, sometimes deliberately kept out of sight. The reasoning is often to avoid “NIMBY” complaints — concerns about house prices or imagined disruption. But separation carries a cost. It reinforces stigma, and it leaves residents believing they are unwelcome in the very communities they are meant to join.
Yet inclusion is possible. On my own street in Nottingham, supported and social housing sits side by side with private homes. It’s a lively, colourful community. Yes, there is the usual summer noise — often from young men polishing expensive cars, not tenants in supported housing — but it works. The soundscape includes birdsong and laughter. It feels like community.
Across the UK, charities and housing projects have shown what’s possible. In Shoreditch, Spitalfields Crypt Trust integrates housing with training and social enterprises, opening doors for residents to engage with the wider neighbourhood. In Leeds, Canopy Housing renovates properties with volunteers and tenants working together — creating not only homes, but neighbourly bonds from the very start.
Community happens when supported housing isn’t hidden, but embraced. It takes openness, design that encourages interaction, and the confidence to believe that everyone has something to contribute.
Every home we create is designed with community in mind — because dignity includes the right to belong. If you’re a charity, funder, or local authority seeking to expand supported housing with integration at its core, partner with Goldfinch.