Manchester has been granted £1.183 million to create a supported housing scheme for young adults on the autistic spectrum.

The funding will enable Great Places, working with Manchester City Council, to build 18 new units at Brookfield View, Levenshulme, with a specialist provider delivering 24-hour care.

As part of its Local Investment Agreement, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) has prioritised Brookfield View for support from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). This has resulted in a funding package made up of £1.183 million from the HCA and a further £380,000 from Great Places.

Currently a number of young adults with autism are cared for outside the city. This new scheme will enable them to return to Manchester to be nearer their families, as well as saving money for the Council.

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The homes will have greater individual spaces and shared areas to prevent isolation. They will be flexible to accommodate the differing needs of clients with a shared house for five people with communal facilities, one block for five people living in individual flats who need significant support and a another block for eight people living in individual flats where a lower level of care is needed.

Councillor Paul Andrews, Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: "This is an important scheme for Manchester which underlines the effectiveness of AGMA's agreed approach on housing priorities.

"It will also create construction jobs, training and apprenticeships and is welcome investment in the city during the current difficult economic climate."

Deborah McLaughlin, Executive Director for the North West at the HCA, said: "I am pleased that we have been able to provide the support needed to progress the Brookfield Vale scheme. We worked closely with Great Places and Manchester City Council to develop this vitally needed service, which will have a positive effect on the lives of many young people in Manchester."

Work on the site, at the junction of Broom Lane and Stockport Road, is scheduled to start in March 2011.

(CD)