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Karbon Homes and Â鶹ÊÓƵ are set to welcome the first residents to 10 newly built supported housing bungalows in Hebburn.

Developed to support residents with learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs to live more independently, the new homes will help address the lack of specialist supported housing options in the borough.

Sarah Robson, Executive Director of Development and Regeneration at Karbon Homes, said: "It's fantastic to see these new bungalows finished, a scheme that provides more than just 'bricks and mortar' homes, but a safe, supported community where adults from the borough with learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs, can thrive.

"At Karbon we're committed to working with our local partners to deliver housing that meets the needs of our communities, and this project with Â鶹ÊÓƵ is a great example of what can be achieved through collaborative working, maximising one another's knowledge and expertise."

The two-bed bungalows on Hedgeley Road, on the site of the former Father James Walsh Day Centre, make up one of two supported housing developments the partnership is delivering.

The second development, built on the former Nolan Hall on Concorde Way in Jarrow, comprises five bungalows and a block of six one and two-bed flats. Completion of these is expected in the coming months.

All 21 of the new homes have been allocated through Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Tenants have been prioritised to reduce the need for them to go into residential care or to move outside the borough, and in some cases have been brought back into the borough.  

The homes will be managed by Karbon Homes.

Residents moving into the new homes will live independently but with the benefit of 24/7 onsite care and support should they need it.

The Hedgeley Road scheme has a six-bedroom staff bungalow on site and the Concorde Way scheme a four-bed staff house, which will be manned by care providers commissioned by Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

The schemes form part of the Council's wider Adult Social Care Accommodation Strategy aimed at supporting people who may need care and support to live independently in the community.  

Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of Â鶹ÊÓƵ, said: "This is a fantastic scheme and we are really proud to have delivered it in partnership with Karbon.

"The development will provide adults with care needs with the independence of their own home, with their own tenancy agreement, but with the security of knowing they have round-the-clock on-site support should they need it.

"Our residents have told us they would prefer to live independently in the community rather than go into residential care, and investing in bespoke facilities such as this helps addresses that need for specialist, affordable accommodation in the place they call home."

The delivery of the two schemes is part-funded by Homes England, through Karbon Homes' Strategic Partnership with the Government's housing delivery agency. 

The strategic partnership has provided the northern housing association with £165m in funding to deliver 2,200 new affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire over the next few years, 10% of which has been dedicated to the development of new homes for people requiring additional support needs.