Amblers Orchard, Leeds

What facilities are available?

We have a range of facilities at Amblers Orchard where you can enjoy your time and meet others in the local community.

The communal gardens can be enjoyed by residents, their families and feature a:

• Pet-friendly area
• Games areas
• Event space

There’s lots of outdoor seating as well as a walking route to tempt residents and visitors outside and enjoy a bit of exercise.

On top of this, there are a host of communal facilities for residents including:

• Assisted bathing spa suite
• On-site salon for those important hair-dos and beauty treatments
• Library
• Hobby room
• Communal quiet lounge
• Open-plan atrium lounge

The café, and salon on the ground floor are open to non-residents too. This allows residents to have a natter and bring their friends in.

How many one and two bedroom apartments are there?

There is 22 two bed and 41 one bed apartments.

Will the apartments be furnished?

No, all of the apartments will be unfurnished, but flooring and an electric cooker and hob is gifted to the first person to let each apartment.

The plumbing and electrical points needed for a washer/dryer and network points for phone and broadband are provided.

You will need to provide your own furniture and soft furnishings, but we can support you in sourcing furniture if you don’t have your own to bring.

What are the heating and cooking facilities in the kitchen apartments?

An electric cooker and hob is gifted to the first person to let each apartment. There is also a restaurant and café facility to buy meals, drinks and snacks.

What are the bathrooms in the apartments like?

All the apartments have a level-access bathroom with a shower. There is also an assisted bathing suite for customers who require support with bathing. These can be booked through our on-site housing management team.

To be able to apply for an apartment you need to meet the eligibility criteria agreed by Leeds City Council and Home Group:

1. You have housing and care needs usually associated with, but not restricted to, older people
2. Leeds is your normal place of residence or you have a close family association
3. You have demonstrable care and support needs and/or housing that is unsuitable to meet your health and social care needs, this may include:
   - Age-related frailty
   - Physical/mental health issues
   - Multiple health problems
   - Sensory impairment
   - Loneliness and isolation
   - Safety and security
4. You have a current or predicted need for 24 hour, seven day a week access to emergency and planned support and/or an ability to benefit from this service
5. You have an eligible need as assessed by adult social care under the Care Act (2014) and as defined by the national eligibility threshold via a community care assessment that is undertaken by the adult social care social work team

How can I apply for a home at Amblers Orchard?

You can express an interest in living at Amblers Orchard through Leeds City Council or directly with us by using the form below.

If you have a social worker, they can fill in a referral form for you or help you complete one - this can then be sent to us alongside any care assessments.

If you don’t already have a social worker, you can refer yourself directly to Home Group by using the form below-  once we’ve received your referral our team can then contact you to chat you through the process. This will include having an assessment with adult social care to determine the level of care and support you need.

How are the apartments be allocated?

We’re working with Leeds City Council to allocate apartments and use an expression of interest list (rather than a waiting list). We need to allocate a mixture of care hours and consider people with different levels of care needs.

When an apartment becomes available, the scheme manager will liaise with the care manager to establish the remaining care hour availability at the service, and they then consider applicants on the expression of interest list who match the care hour need.

Will local residents be able to secure a tenancy?

In line with the eligibility criteria, we consider where an applicant lives and any family associations when allocating apartments.

Is there be a laundry room on site?

There is not a communal laundry room available for customers to use as there is space in the apartments to fit either a washing machine or a combined washer/dryer. There is a communal clothes drying area in the garden.

Can I bring pets?

We work with you during the assessment process to determine whether it would be suitable for you to bring pets to the scheme, and we assess this on a case by case basis. If you would like to find out more about our pet policy, please let us know by contacting us using the form below.

Who will deliver the care on site?

Our team will be available to deliver care on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week for those who have planned care packages or to respond to emergency needs. You can choose to have your care packages delivered by another provider if you would like to.

How much car parking is available?

There are 40 car parking spaces, including four spaces for disabled users only and six spaces with electric vehicle charging points.

How will repairs be managed?

Colleagues at Amblers Orchard can help you log a repair through our customer service centre. We also have a handyperson on site who can help with maintenance and repair issues.

What TV services are available?
BT and Sky connections are available for you to set up your own account.

Costs and services

Are the apartments for rent or to buy, and how much do they cost?

All apartments are available for affordable rent only.

Rent

The rent charge has been agreed upon with Leeds City Council and is eligible for housing benefits.

Per month, the rent cost, including all eligible service charges for communal facilities is:

£1123.07 per month - one bedroom apartment

£1263.4685 per month- two bed apartment

Personal Service charge

We also ask for a small contribution for things not covered under the service charges, such as communal WiFi and TV licences. This is currently £1.99 a month

Wellbeing charge

We also provide one waking care colleague on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This resource is not allocated to any planned support hours, but used flexibly as required in emergency situations. It is also available to all customers (regardless of their chosen care provider or level of need).

This is funded through the wellbeing charge, which is £221.52 per month per apartment and is mandatory for all customers.

This provides:

• Swift response and management by trained reablement team members to alarm calls for ad hoc support and in the case of an emergency, including liaison with other professionals
• The ability for even those with care needs to remain in their own home, safe in the knowledge that help is available if needed
• The ability for the provision of wellbeing activities out of core working hours to optimise social inclusion
• A reduction in the need to increase care packages at short notice, for example hospital discharges, where a customer may require additional short-term reablement support
• A reduced need for hospital admissions/readmissions

How does the billing for utilities work?

Gas, electricity and water are all serviced through one main supply to the building and each apartment has its own smart meter.

You pay for these services through us rather than setting up an account with a utility supplier. These meters are all smart meters and the information is electronically gathered and sent to Watkins who are our designated third party metering company.

We will always make sure that the best value is always achieved in purchasing gas, water and electric on your behalf. We can not make a profit out of your utility bills.

Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Melissa. I have worked for Home Group for over two years. During this time, I have been lucky enough to work in different services.

I am the registered manager of our community and wellbeing service, Amblers Orchard. I have worked in the sector for over ten years. In fact it’s all I’ve known, apart from working at Greggs while I was in college! 

My team will know how important coffee and my Labradoodle Lucy are to me! I love to travel and see new things.

What attracted you to joining Home Group?
When I first applied to work for Home Group, I took a chance and applied for a maternity cover contract, it was the best decision. I looked on the Home Group website and instantly knew I had to apply. I love the values and everything they stand for. It’s amazing what colleagues within Home Group do for our customers and how we all support each other.

What is the most exciting part of your role?
No day is the same for me and that’s one of the things I love about my role. One day I could be writing risk assessments, the next I could be completing customer assessments or looking at finances.

What are your challenges?
Managing a team can be difficult but team work really does make the dream work! Together we support customers to reach their goals every day, working with other colleagues in Home Group and our stakeholders.

If you were a superhero which would it be?
If I could be a superhero I'd have to pick Flash. I would love the ability to time travel and of course be super strong!