What is a Homestead?
A Homestead is a therapeutic and creative environment offering residential and day care for people who are experiencing mental health challenges. Co-created and beautifully crafted, in rural settings, it aims to foster a sense of purpose and belonging.
What is the Homestead Community Network?
Homestead has big ambitions: we want to create a national network of individual Homesteads so that they can be accessible for all. Each Homestead will be co-created with the local community, making each one unique and adaptive to the local character and needs.
Please get in touch if you would like one in your area and know of any potential sites.
Homestead's Core Principles
Each Homestead will be different but each one will be formed and run on a consistent set of four core principles.
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Homeliness & Closeness to Nature
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Design Excellence & Sustainability
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Productive Enterprise & Community Interaction
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Affordability & Access for All
The Homestead Vision
A New Standard of Care
Homestead envisions a new standard for mental health care: therapeutic environments where those facing acute mental health challenges can heal, grow and feel a sense of belonging. With specialist supported accommodation and holistic wrap-around care, it offers a dignified, transformative alternative to traditional models of care.
Each Homestead community will offer:
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Supported Accommodation in a homely setting: Housing for up to 15 residents, supported by a dedicated team of 7–10 compassionate staff members who live and work on-site.
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Day and Respite Services: Additional support options to extend the community’s impact.
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Proximity to Nature: Locations designed to inspire healing through natural surroundings and productive green spaces.
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Meaningful activities for residents, staff, and volunteers: Opportunities to collaborate and feel a collective sense of ownership and purpose.
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Community Enterprise: Community-based enterprises to strengthen ties with local neighbourhoods and raise funds for Homestead.
Each Homestead will be made up of the following built environment components:
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Main Building: Central hub for care and community activities.
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Community Enterprise: Outward-facing initiatives such as shops, cafés, and workshops.
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Residential Clusters: Supported housing for up to 15 residents.
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Productive Garden: Therapeutic green spaces for relaxation and food production.
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Diverse Landscape: Natural environments to support wellbeing.
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Ancillary Buildings: Facilities for workshops and support services.
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‘Step-Down’ Village: Transitional housing for those nearing independence.
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Places of Care
Each Homestead, whether rural or urban, will be a place close to nature; full of enterprise, art, music, and beauty; each one providing supported accommodation for about 15 residents of mixed-needs at any one time; with about seven staff living in, and up to seven resident-makers, guests, family-members and volunteers.
Places of Enterprise
Homestead also aims to become a thriving network of productive community-based enterprises where residents would be able to work part-time. The businesses could range from baking and pottery, bee-keeping and food production, farm-shops and animal rescue to cycle-cafes, flower stalls, coffee-carts and high street retail ‘hubs’.
Some outlets will be part of a Homestead and some will be in nearby towns. We want residents, staff, volunteers and communities to be involved, and feel a positive sense of ownership for the Homestead brand-family.
