A mother is appealing to find a home for her disabled son who could be without a place to live next month.

Anthony Bulpitt, 40, has Down’s Syndrome and has been living with a carer for the past two years under the Shared Lives scheme, run by Dorset County Council.

But now Anthony’s carer has decided to live at his own property – meaning Anthony needs to find a place to live by the middle of February or face being homeless.

His mother, Christina Baines, is attempting to find a new home for Anthony, where he can safely live on his own.

“Anthony is about to be made homeless,” said Christina.

“After many years of shared supported living, he would now like the opportunity to live as independently as possible and to continue to live in Bridport.

“Although Anthony is a capable person, he hasn’t lived on his own before and is, therefore, looking for a self-contained annexe or flat in a safe environment where he would continue to receive professional guidance from his support worker.”

The Shared Lives scheme offers support to vulnerable adults, including people with learning disabilities, mental health issues and people with dementia and allows them to live in the family homes of registered carers.

There are more than 60 Shared Lives carers across Dorset, who are supported by a central team who match carers to those in need of the help.

Glen Gocoul, head of specialist adult services at Dorset County Cou-ncil, said: “We are not able to comment on individual cases. However we want to highlight that in similar circumstances, a range of individuals and agencies will be working together to meet impending needs for housing and support.

“This includes the individual themselves, their family, the relevant housing authority and the local authority community learning disability team.

“There is a range of alternative solutions to meet the housing and support needs of individuals, and the Shared Lives service is one such potential and valued option. By working collaboratively, we aim to secure appropriate accommodation and support for individuals.”

“In the autumn, the family Anthony lived with had to, unexpectedly, leave their rented house in South Street and have been living in unsuitable temporary flats since October last year,” added Christina.

“Although there had been the promise that Anthony would continue to share a house with his support worker and his teenage family in a self-contained annexe attached to a family house, this offer has fallen through and other suitable accommodation has not been found.

“It will mean that from the middle of February, Anthony will urgently need somewhere to live. This is my task as his mother; to find Anthony a safe and secure home where he will continue to receive the appropriate support. Such support is also important as he also has diabetes and needs some supervision with general health care.”

Anyone who can offer Anthony a place to live can contact Christina on 07544 695789.