City of London · Central London
Supported Living for City of London Residents
Nothing we run is inside the Square Mile: the three supported living houses are out in Whitton near Twickenham, in Kingston upon Thames and in Uxbridge. This page is for City families thinking about one of them: how the City of London Corporation decides, what to ask, and how long the journey back really takes.
What our registration covers. JNP Sidona is registered with the CQC for one regulated activity, personal care, for adults younger and older than 65, including people with dementia and people with a physical disability or a sensory impairment. Nursing is not part of it, and none of the three houses is a care home.
Why a City family ends up looking further afield
The City has very little housing of any kind. The 2021 Census counted 4,916 households in the whole Square Mile, 87% of them in purpose-built flats and more than half with one bedroom, most of them on a handful of estates. Only 730 homes were socially rented. There is simply not much to choose from inside the boundary, so an adult from the Barbican, Golden Lane or Portsoken who wants more independence may have to look at options in other boroughs too.
That does not make moving away the right answer. Ask the Corporation's social worker first what can be arranged closer to home. For some people, staying near family, a familiar GP or a job in the City matters more than anything a home elsewhere can offer, and a good assessment should weigh that.
How the City of London Corporation arranges supported living
Start with a Care Act assessment
The Corporation will not fund a move without first assessing the person under the Care Act. Its social workers take requests by phone on weekdays (020 7332 1224) or through the duty inbox, adultsduty@cityoflondon.gov.uk, then visit, with a target of four weeks to finish. If it finds eligible needs, the social worker works with you on where the person could live and what support they need. Ask directly what options the Corporation uses, inside and outside the Square Mile; we have found no published City policy on placements in other areas, so the social worker is the person to ask. The Adult Social Care contact page has the details.
For young people moving into adulthood
The City's Preparing for Adulthood local offer covers young people aged 14 to 25 with special educational needs or disabilities who live in the City. For a teenager with an EHC plan, the Corporation says independent living can be on the agenda from the Year 9 annual review, around age 13 or 14, and later reviews look at housing options. Raise it early. The City's Family Information Service, at Guildhall, is on 020 7332 1002 and publishes a Steps to Adulthood guide.
If mental health is part of the picture
Where mental illness is part of the picture, the specialist team will be ELFT's City and Hackney service. Bring the person's care coordinator into any conversation about moving, since a new address can mean a new team.
The journey from the City to each home
We checked TfL's journey planner for a weekday 8am trip, door to door:
- Uxbridge: about 72 to 74 minutes from the Barbican and 74 to 76 from Portsoken, on a single Metropolitan line train to the end of the line. Aldgate, Liverpool Street, Moorgate and Barbican are all on that line.
- Whitton: about 53 to 62 minutes to Whitton station, via Waterloo and a South Western Railway train.
- Kingston upon Thames: about 66 to 72 minutes from the Barbican, via Waterloo and Surbiton.
Uxbridge is the furthest in minutes but the simplest trip, with no change, which matters if the person will travel back alone to see family. By car, all three are a long drive across London, and leaving the City means the Congestion Charge during charging hours.
Who pays when a City resident moves
Where needs are eligible, the Corporation pays for the support and means-tests the person to set any contribution of their own. Housing costs are separate from support costs; ask how they are met in each case. If health needs dominate, NHS Continuing Healthcare screening is worth requesting. Costs are not listed on this page; we work them out only once we have met the person, and our funding guide walks through the main routes.
A move from EC2Y to UB8 does not usually hand the person over to Hillingdon. The Care Act's ordinary residence rules, in section 39 and in chapter 19 of the government's statutory guidance, normally keep the placing council in charge of funding and reviews. Ask the social worker to put that in the support plan. The NHS side does move. The person will register with a surgery near the house, so ask the current GP, very often the Neaman Practice at Half Moon Court, to send records promptly and to give you a medication list for the first weeks.
Questions to put to us, or anyone else
- Housing and care arrangements explained: who owns the home, what the person signs, and who provides the support.
- How will the person keep up what they do in the City now: a course, a job, a club, a place of worship, Sunday lunch with family?
- Who helps with travel back into central London, and how often?
- Who is around overnight, and how do tenants reach them?
- Can the person spend time in the house, meet the team and try the trip home before saying yes?
Supported living in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge →
Care at home in City of London
Where to start
Supported living from City of London
Council assessment
City of London Corporation (the local authority for the Square Mile, 020 7332 1224. Needs assessments.
Our son lives with us on the Golden Lane Estate. Who do we contact first?
The Corporation, which has been the estate's council since the 1994 boundary change. Islington is not involved, even though its streets start just across Golden Lane.
Will the Corporation pay for a move to Uxbridge or Kingston?
Only the Corporation can say, once it has assessed him and written a support plan. Put the question to the social worker plainly; if the answer is yes, the City would normally keep paying for the support after he moves.
Which home is easiest to visit from Aldgate?
Uxbridge, if simplicity counts: board a Metropolitan line train at Aldgate and stay on to the terminus, about 75 minutes door to door. Whitton station is a little quicker to reach, but the trip needs a change at Waterloo.
Can we visit a home before deciding?
Please do. We can set up a visit, ideally with the social worker there, and it is worth travelling out on the same trains the person would use. If what you need right now is time off from caring, read respite care in the City.
