An extra £1million in the next year will provide more community services for adults with learning disabilities

Doors are opening throughout the city for the growing number of adults with learning disabilities.

Now an extra £1million in the next year will provide more community services with the Council working with NHS Lothian and many voluntary organisations throughout the city.

One example is a large city villa in Inverleith owned by Outlook Housing, which was once a home for older people. It has been converted to provide accommodation for autistic adults.

The lower ground floor has been separated from the main building and leased to the Council’s Department of Health and Social Care, which financed its transformation into a state-of-the-art day centre for up to nine adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and learning disabilities.

If unsupported, people with this syndrome become increasingly socially isolated through their difficulties in making friendships.

The new facility will enable structured behavioural and communication programmes to be provided in a sensitive environment.

Outlook’s financial investment, along with a grant awarded by the Council’s Development Funding Department, has met the costs of refurbishing the ground and first floors to provide specialist 24-hour supported accommodation for six residents with ASD.