See the difference in members' lives
The StepIn video shows Mikey, Rachel and Malachy as they go about their daily lives. Aisling and Louise, StepIn staff members, explain how they provide practical support but stand back to allow Mikey, Rachel, Malachy and others to live their own lives.
“Once you take a step back you realise that people are very much well able to do things for themselves says,” Aisling, the former Supported Living Coordinator for StepIn.
The key to being independent is a key in your home
HOUSING: The houses that members live in can be rented from the county council, privately rented, rented from a housing association or they may be owned by the member themselves. The main thing is that the house is in the network area.
In our Athlone network, for example, all of the members are renting housing in the private sector and they are getting help with their rent from Roscommon County Council under the Residential Accommodation Scheme (RAS). The RAS means that people usually have an initial six-month lease on their home, then rolling on monthly, and the lease agreement is signed by the member themselves. This means that they are the legal tenants of the house and are responsible for paying their portion of the rent, the other part of the rent is paid by the county council using the RAS. They are also responsible for abiding by the terms of their tenancy agreement.
JOINING: People wanting to join a StepIn network can contact StepIn themselves and then fill in an application form. This can be done by going to our Contacts page and sending us an email or by phoning one of the StepIn team on 087 2128658 .
Alternatively, people can be referred by someone else, such as a family member, friend or staff membe of a care agency or other professionals working with the potential member.
