In the UK today, thousands of people with learning disabilities and autistic people are still living in places that don’t meet their needs - including inpatient settings, residential care, or family homes that were never designed to provide long-term support. At the same time, demand for high-quality supported housing continues to rise.

• Around 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability1
• Around 1 in 100 people are autistic2
• More than 2,000 people with learning disabilities or autism remain in inpatient care settings3
• Up to 25% of people with learning disability and autistic people live in supported housing4
• Up to 34k new supported homes are needed over the next 15 years5

We created our social impact fund, the Resonance Supported Homes Fund, in 2020, in response to this, to provide a solution to the chronic shortage of specialist supported housing across the UK, helping to expand the supply of these much-needed homes.

The fund raised £15.2m from four impact-aligned investors - Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Oxfordshire County Council, Barrow Cadbury Trust and Better Society Capital – enabling it to acquire and refurbish properties, then lease those homes to its specialist housing provider partners, United Response and Golden Lane Housing, who manage the homes and provide support services for tenants.

Crucially, the fund is designed around long-term partnership, as one housing partner explains in our latest social impact report:

“You’re more like a true, real strategic partner.”

The fund’s impact so far

The fund’s latest Social Impact Report 2025/26 offers a compelling picture of what can happen when impact investment, housing expertise and local partnerships come together around the shared purpose of creating safe, community-based homes that enable people to live fulfilling lives.

Five years after launch, the fund has grown steadily, and as of March 2026:

• 35 properties had been purchased and refurbished
• The homes have capacity for 70 tenants
• 60 people had already been housed
• 96% of properties achieved EPC C or above
• Around £3.4 million had been invested into refurbishment works

Importantly, 100% of the homes delivered are considered new additions to the supported housing sector - meaning the fund is genuinely increasing supply rather than simply reshuffling existing stock.

Much of the work has focused on Greater Manchester, alongside projects in Nottinghamshire and Oxfordshire, with other properties scattered across various parts of England, where specific need was identified with housing partners.

One standout development is the transformation of “The Old Eight Bells” in Mansfield - a former town-centre building converted into eight supported living apartments with shared community spaces and on-site support facilities for housing partner, United Response.

Liz Farrell, Service Manager explains that “The difference that The Old Eight Bells has made to people is immense … It is a marker of what strong partnerships can achieve, and a model for future schemes.”

The project was recently recognised with a highly commended mention at the RESI Awards for inclusivity.

More than housing

The fund’s homes are not simply ‘accommodation’ - they are the foundation for independence, confidence, relationships and belonging.

Tenant outcomes from the “My Home and Me” survey reveal the human impact behind the numbers:

• 100% of respondents said their home was better than their previous home
• 80% said they felt more confident or independent
• 86% reported better relationships with family and friends
• 71% described their mental health as good or very good
• 100% said they received good or very good support in their home

Tenant stories throughout the report bring these outcomes to life.

One tenant, Jenna, moved from a hospital environment into a carefully adapted bungalow designed around her preferences and support needs. Another tenant, Thomas, describes his new home as “like a big family” where he feels safe, independent and connected.

But the impact goes wider, with a ripple effect on families. Emma is a tenant at The Old Eight Bells, and her sister, Aynsley, describes how moving into supported housing has transformed not only Emma’s life, but her family’s too:

“It’s given all of us our lives back… I’m no longer her support worker – I can just be her sister.”

The fund’s impact also extends to its work with its other stakeholders, including its housing partners, investors and local authorities, demonstrating an impact-driven approach and strong alignment.

Stephanie Radley, Property Development Manager at United Response, “Resonance is extremely responsive and proactive rather than reactive. You’re a very good landlord and partner to work with.”

And, describing the relationship with the fund, Felicity Ford, Development Manager at Golden Lane Housing explains “I’ve really enjoyed working with Resonance and I really want to work with them on another project. We’ve got a strong relationship and one that is built on trust.”

Key lessons, areas for improvement and looking ahead

Over the past year, the fund has continued to demonstrate the value of a partnership-led approach to delivering high-quality supported housing with high-quality partners – demonstrating the impact achieved so far.

It also recognises areas for improvement that we are focused on developing further, including strengthening our role as a responsible and accountable partner, enhancing long-term quality and environmental sustainability of homes, and working with housing partners to collect high-quality impact data – all of which are an ongoing process of learning and adaptation.

With the fund’s current pipeline nearing completion, Resonance is now exploring what a future phase of supported housing investment could look like.

We’re undertaking a broader feasibility and scoping study focused on the future of Specialised Supported Housing (SSH), engaging with local authorities, providers, commissioners and investors to identify where the next generation of impact-led housing solutions is most needed.

At a time when the UK faces growing pressures across housing, health and social care systems, the fund’s work highlights an important point: housing is not simply infrastructure. For many people, the right home can be the foundation for independence, connection, confidence and a fundamentally different future.

And increasingly, the challenge is not whether these homes are needed, but how quickly enough of them can be created.

Read our latest Resonance Supported Homes Impact Report 2025/26, HERE.

Sources:

1 Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities

2 National Autistic Society

3 NHS England ‘Update on Learning Disability and Autism Programme’

4 Housing LIN ‘Supported housing for people with learning disabilities and autistic people in England’

5 National Housing Federation: How much supported housing will we need by 2024