About Independent Living Services

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Introduction to Independent Living Services

Independent Living Services was founded just over two decades ago with the goal of helping people facing all manner of crises find safe, accessible, and affordable temporary housing.

Our founder, Wajahat ‘Judge’ Choudhry, started ILS with a single home in Weston-super-Mare, quickly building a reputation for ILS as a safe haven for those in need. Since then, we’ve been able to expand our services and continuously grow our community with the addition of a new shared home every two years or so, and hope to continue doing so in the future.

With the addition of fully independent private apartments for those who have managed to beat their addiction and mental health disorders, we graduated from helping people piece their lives back together to helping people achieve and maintain long-term independence, sobriety, and prosperity.

Today, ILS continues to turn hopelessness into optimism, desperation into growth, and loneliness into community.

Our values

ILS assists people in rebuilding their lives to fully independent living around four core values: Community, Education, Health, and Progression. Anyone who embraces these values at any stage in their life, regardless of their past choices, can take steps towards a life of meaning and a future in control. 

We welcome anyone who shares these values to ILS—a welcoming temporary stop on the journey back to independence. 

Community

Finding your place in a community that accepts you for who you are, one that continuously encourages and motivates you to live and flourish, adds so much meaning and purpose to life. 

With ILS, you’re a part of our community from day one, and while you’re here, we’ll help you develop the skills needed to form and maintain relationships with your own support communities when you return to independent living.

Education

Education holds both answers to questions and the key to opportunity. By carefully selecting the right support services for our tenants, we provide education and insights into addiction, mental health, and other issues that are important to understand for long-term recovery.

We also offer skills and career development opportunities that help fast-track getting into a career and on the way to living independently.

Health

We have little more in this life than our health, and we must regard it as sacred. With our holistic approach to well-being, we see good mental and physical health as essential components of independent living.

Our skilled recovery and mental health specialists work tirelessly to help our tenants achieve happiness and meaning within a community that values healthy eating, living, and choices.  

Progression

Many of our residents come to ILS during times of extreme difficulty or stress, often feeling hopeless about the future. We, the ILS team and our community that has overcome our own challenges, aim to turn hopelessness into hope and hope into progress. 

Small and incremental steps towards recovery, sobriety, and a purpose-driven life add up, setting the stage for successful and long-term independent living.

Independent Living Services: Flourish Beyond Belief

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.

Privacy and Confidentiality

ILS takes our tenants’ privacy and confidentiality needs seriously. All ILS staff, support, and recovery workers are trained to maintain privacy and discretion and adhere to strict confidentiality agreements. 

Any issues or topics of discussion raised during private therapy sessions are bound by disclosure and confidentiality guidelines as laid out by the General Medical Council. In other words, nothing said in private to your therapist is to be repeated to your housemates or other parties.  

We’ve also taken steps to ensure that our digital data is protected and securely stored to protect your digital privacy.

Safety and Security

ILS is proud to say that in our 20 years of existence, we have never had any serious issues or concerns regarding safety and security. Our tenants’ safety is critically important, not just for the sake of physical security but for their mental well-being and peace of mind. 

All eight of our homes are located in safe areas with minimal crime levels and visible policing. Each tenant has their own private room under lock and key, and with housemates and support staff regularly coming and going, the houses are rarely left standing empty. 

Finally, with 24/7 ILS support never more than a phone call away, we’re ready to jump into action should the need ever arise.