History

Models of care have a habit of changing - as new research defines better treatments, medicines or therapies. Some models are so different they amount to a social revolution. Care in the Community, which was introduced in 1983 and which saw the move away from long stay care for people with learning disabilities or mental health challenges in large (often Victorian) hospitals, was definitely one such. By the early 1990s most people with long-term needs had moved out of the old hospitals: those who were left were the people with the most complex and challenging problems. It was specifically to provide services in the community for this group of people that Alternative Futures was founded in 1992 by Matthew Clarke.

Matthew Clarke (right) celebrates his retirement with David, a user of our services.

By 1997, Alternative Futures supported over 300 people in partnership with Health Authorities and Local Authorities throughout the North West of England, principally in small registered establishments. By 2002, the model had moved in favour of Supported Living, with individuals holding tenancies either in their own flat, or sharing with 2 or 3 others.  To support this, Alternative Futures streamed its work through several different companies: Alternative Futures, Alternative Housing and Learning Alternatives, all under the umbrella of The Alternative Group.

Alternative Futures Group has continued to grow and is now one of the largest charitable support providers in the North of England, supporting approximately 600 service users in over 160 services in 6 independent hospitals, 3 adult care homes with nursing, 7 adult care homes and a large number of supported living settings.  In 2007, for reasons of efficiency and effectiveness, we merged the separate companies into one organisation, Alternative Futures Group, with a subsiduary company Alternative Housing, and we now work from two principal office bases in Merseyside and Blackburn.