MOVES to make life more bearable for vulnerable members of the community are progressing well.

The Council's Housing Committee has been reviewing its Community Care Strategy established 18 months ago in partnership with Wigan and Bolton Health Authority.

The strategy is aimed at effectively co-ordinating the work of agencies involved in housing issues to help vulnerable people live largely independent, happy and safe lives in their own homes.

Achievements in that period include schemes for the elderly involving Hanover, Housing 21, English Churches and Grosvenor Housing associations.

Between them they built over 60 accommodation units and improved others.

The Council has improved some of its own sheltered schemes with lifts, ramps and assisted toilet facilities.

It has also converted a number of bedsits to one bedroom flats and appointed a sheltered housing officer.

For those with physical disability English Churches built a new bungalow for wheelchair users and County Palatine and Grosvenor have funds for five more.

For adults with learning disabilities two more properties have been provided for groups to live independently with carers.

Other notable steps have been the resettlement of 200 people from long-stay hospital and a housing project for people who have experienced mental health problems.

Housing director Peter Gee said: "We have made a lot of progress thanks to excellent co-operation between everyone involved.

"We have had one or two set backs with attempting to rehouse vulnerable people in local communities but we have learned valuable lessons from these.

"One of the main problems is we seem to get a new piece of guidance or legislation every week and it's hard to keep up, and even harder to plan, especially for funding."

"However, if the next 18 months see as much progress as has been made so far, we shall be well satisfied."

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