New supported living development, Rosehip House, opens in Islington

It will provide 11 adults with learning disabilities the chance to live in their local community, close to their support networks. 

Named by the Experts by Experience service—a local advocacy group for people with learning disabilities—Rosehip House helps fill a critical gap in accommodation-based care in the borough.

It offers high-quality housing alongside 24/7 support provided by the Learning Disability Network London, enabling residents to live healthy, fulfilling, and independent lives in a safe place they call home. 

The scheme was designed in partnership with Islington’s Adult Social Care team and the Learning Disability Partnership and meets best practice standards for supported living services.

It provides four homes in a ‘pod model’, where residents with greater support needs have their own bathroom and bedroom with a shared kitchen and dining area, and seven 1-bedroom self-contained flats for residents who are able to live more independently.  

The scheme also benefits from an assisted bathroom, a wheelchair transfer room, two communal lounges, a sunny rear garden, cycle storage and a laundry. On-site staff support will be available, with a dedicated space for care workers, including an office and overnight accommodation. 

The homes are built on the site of a former car park and old, disused garages. In a sustainable twist, timber from removed trees has been reused to furnish the office and the dining area, and new trees have been planted by the council. 

Artwork by local autistic artist and resident Jack Haslam, originally featured on the construction hoarding, will be on permanent display in the garden for residents and staff to enjoy. 

Cllr John Woolf, Islington Council's Executive Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods, said: “We believe everyone in Islington deserves a safe, decent, and genuinely affordable home — and Rosehip House is a fantastic example of how we can make that vision a reality.

"This new development is more than bricks and mortar; it’s a place where people will be supported to live full, independent lives as part of our community.” 

Cllr Flora Williamson, Islington Council's Executive Member for Health and Social Care, added: “People with learning disabilities have the right to happy and healthy lives, with the care and support that suits their individual needs.

"Rosehip House demonstrates how we can deliver that — not just with compassion, but with dignity and respect.

"It’s a brilliant example of how integrated housing and care can help people lead the lives they choose, surrounded by their community.”