Independent Living Services (ILS) provides safe, secure, and accessible community-based supported housing to those in need. We empower those recovering from abuse, addiction, crisis, and mental health concerns in a peaceful and quiet residential setting located in the beautiful coastal town of Weston-super-Mare, less than an hour from Bristol.
Independent Living Services (ILS) offers a sanctuary for individuals on their journey to overcome addictions and mental health challenges, those facing a living-crisis, and victims of abuse.
We create safe environments that encourage healing and recovery, allowing our residents to relearn the skills needed to live independently and responsibly.
At ILS, our drug, alcohol, and substance-free, fully-furnished, and well-appointed houses set the scene for a gradual, consistent, and successful reintegration into society and independent living.
A stay at ILS also means access to skill and career development opportunities, easy access to mental health and addiction specialists and therapy and round-the-clock support from a kind, caring, and understanding community of housemates from all walks of life.
Independent Living Services (ILS) runs a total of eight abstinence houses in Weston-super-Mare. Each of these houses offers a fully private bedroom for each of the five residents, shared or private en-suite bathrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, and beautiful shared spaces furnished with everything you need for a relaxing and comfortable stay with us.
We’ve taken great care to offer housing that feels like a home, housing that you can turn into your genuine home. Regardless of which house you are placed in, you can rest assured it will provide everything you need to start living independently, with the support, safety, and guidance of the ILS community and support staff.
All of our properties are located within easy access to public transport to commute to and from work, educational hubs, shopping areas, and medical service providers. With most of our houses being, on average, a 15-minute walk from the beach and other green spaces, there’s also plenty of opportunity to stretch your legs and get some exercise.
We believe in everyone’s right to safe and accessible housing. Whether you are paying privately or through government-assisted benefits, ILS can provide you with secure and comfortable housing within a supportive community.
Our streamlined process is designed to help those who need safe, supported, and abstinence-based housing as easily, affordably, and painlessly as possible. We take great care to get to know applicants for residency to ensure continuity, congruence, and harmony within the ILS community.
Contact us at 0739 531 2386 or info@ilshousing.org or alternatively, contact our office at 01934 626 881.
Members of the ILS team will guide you through any questions and instruct you on what paperwork to prepare.
To ensure the safety of all our tenants, we take every possible step to ensure that all our new residents are no longer actively abusing substances, have committed to a recovery programme, and have gone through detox before admission.
The final step before moving into any of our houses is a personal interview with the ILS Support Team. This will allow us to find the right community in the right supported home for you.
After all the formalities are done, it's time to move into your new room at ILS.
With everything you could need included, it's simply a matter of bringing your personal items and meeting your new house mates.
When addiction, abuse, crisis, or mental health disorders have taken control of your life, ILS offers a second chance at a new beginning with safe, supportive, and accessible accommodation for all.
Addiction, abuse, crisis, mental health problems, and other issues that affect our ability to meet the challenges of life don’t discriminate — and neither do we. No matter where or what walk of life you come from, if you’re in need of community-based supported housing, ILS is here to help.
ILS has a long history of providing supported housing to anyone in need. We’ve helped powerful CEOs regain control of a life slowly spiralling out of control, those who’ve lost their homes and families to mental health problems and addiction, and everyone in between.
At ILS, we open our doors in support of people from all backgrounds and walks of life. We believe that everyone who has made the conscious decision to move forward with their lives deserves the best possible shot at a happy, productive, meaningful, and sober life.
It can all begin again with ILS.
Supported housing often raises good questions. Check out our FAQs for more information on ILS and our services.
Substance abuse and addiction play havoc with our neurochemistry. It causes changes that affect our ability to meet the challenges and responsibilities of daily life, leading to a gradual decline in quality of life as friends and family become alienated, problems crop up at work, and one loses one’s sense of self and of what’s important. Without intervention or a concrete decision to get clean, many of those suffering from addiction eventually lose it all–family, friends, health, career, and home.
While many people attempt serious and necessary life changes from the comfort of their own homes, a large proportion of these attempts prove to be unsuccessful. The forces that contribute to addiction, whether poor family dynamics, lifestyle choices and habits, the influence of friends or peers, or any other combination of factors, simply prove too much for many to stay clean.
Assisted living, as the first port-of-call in the recovery journey or as secondary treatment as part of a professional rehab programme, offers the ideal setting for longer-term recovery, sobriety, and relearning how to live a life free from substances. By physically removing yourself from the everyday temptations of life, you give yourself breathing room, thinking space, and the opportunity to focus on recovery without temptation, all with a supportive team and community by your side.
The difference between the three types of housing lies primarily in their structure, purpose, and the level of support they offer.
Halfway houses originally served as transitional living spaces for those leaving prison; however, in recent years, many have opened their doors to those recovering from addiction. They typically offer very little in the way of structure or support, with management taking a hard line on transgressions or rule-breaking.
Sober living houses provide a drug- and alcohol-free environment for individuals recovering from addiction. Typically, you’d expect them to offer some level of support for overcoming addiction, such as weekly meetings with addiction specialists or access to therapists when needed.
Supported living offers the highest level of day-to-day support of the three types of housing. You can reasonably expect supported living service providers to offer mental health services, life skills training, and community integration initiatives, along with a range of services and checkups that facilitate the long-term recovery from addiction. ILS falls into this category.
A full and lasting recovery from addiction or mental health problems doesn’t stick to a predetermined schedule. While some of our guests make amazing strides and feel confident in their ability to return home permanently clean and sober after only a few weeks, others may stay on for months on end. ILS won’t rush your recovery, meaning you’ll be welcome to stay on with us for however long it takes for you to move on to fully independent living with confidence.
ILS believes that a lack of financial means should not be a barrier to accessing help. We’re affiliated with a large number of state and private organisations, institutions, and initiatives, both at the national and local level, that aim to make supported living services accessible to all.
To learn more, please visit our affiliations page, or contact us directly at 01934 626 881 or through our portal.
Once your room with ILS has been confirmed, we’ll forward you the complete set of house rules for all our tenants.
In essence, our house rules are designed to keep our spaces free of drugs, alcohol, and other substances of abuse while maintaining a calm and peaceful living environment for all.
Absolutely. ILS places a heavy emphasis on the fact that attending school or work is a healthy and productive use of time. While attending school or work during acute withdrawal or the early stages of primary care for addiction isn’t necessarily the best idea, once you’re stable and have started your recovery journey, rejoining society as a working and productive contributor is an important step to lasting recovery.
We value our residents’ safety and well-being above all else. This means a zero-tolerance policy for any substance abuse on or off our premises.
Anyone identified as abusing drugs, alcohol, or other substances while living at ILS will be asked to leave immediately.
If you ever feel at risk of relapse, we encourage you to discuss it with our support team to maintain your hard-earned sobriety.
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