Making a difference for 35 years

Our charity was established at the end of 1987, when the ward of a long-stay institution was closing and people had nowhere to go. At that time Havencare (Plymouth) Limited was born by NHS Directors looking to create community residential services in Plymouth/Devon with a forward thinking view that the hospital model of support was not the future for people with learning disabilities.

This was modern-thinking at that time, but hindsight has shown us that up to 18 people living together in a residential service, with shared bathrooms, mealtimes, and outings was not “the future”.

Fast forward to 2011, and Havencare only has 3 remaining residential services (two services with four residents and one with 9 residents), with a further 31 people in supported living, in their own homes with their own tenancies across Plymouth and Devon. We then decided to move into Cornwall. At this time we changed our name to Havencare (South West) Limited.

Rolling on to 2020 and, as COVID hit, Havencare merged with Brook Housing, a small local housing charity, and became Havencare Homes and Support Limited. We closed our largest remaining residential service in 2021 and in 2022 we closed another small residential service.

In 2023, Havencare is supporting 100 people who have their own homes with their own tenancies. Some people choose to live on their own, some choose to share, and some choose to live connected to a support Hub where they can access support when needed. We are proud to continue reaching more people, making a difference, providing support for the life people choose and homes that are right for them.