Sanctuary Supported Living Reviews 25

Truly life-saving support when it mattered most

I cannot thank The Lookout Winchester Sanctuary enough for what they did for my friend and for all of us around them. At a time of real crisis, when other services – particularly Crisis Havant – were incredibly disappointing and left us feeling unsupported, this team stepped in and made all the difference.

Every member of staff went above and beyond. You could see they were stretched and busy, yet they still gave their time, care, and attention without hesitation. That level of dedication is rare.

The manager and staff were empathetic, kind, supportive, and genuinely wise in how they handled everything. They didn’t just “do their job” — they truly cared, and it showed in every interaction.

Quite simply, this place helped save my friend, and I will always be grateful for that.

Sanctuary operates with a heavily layered line‑management structure that significantly shapes the day‑to‑day experience of frontline staff. Communication is expected to flow strictly through the hierarchy, and direct contact with upper management is discouraged or tightly controlled. When such contact does occur, it is often limited in scope and tone, with little space for open discussion or meaningful feedback. This creates an environment where staff voices are filtered rather than heard.

Because of this, the overall wellbeing and professional experience of employees depend almost entirely on the competence and approach of their local Service Manager. If a manager is organised, supportive, and communicative, the service may function well. However, if a manager is inconsistent, disengaged, or lacks the skills required for the role, there is no structural safeguard to protect staff from the impact. Services operate in isolation, with minimal oversight or cross‑service consistency, resulting in each team effectively working within its own bubble.

Key aspects of employment — including annual leave approval, access to supervision, work–life balance, wellbeing support, and referrals to occupational health — are all controlled by a single individual. Without a clear organisational baseline or external accountability, these essential elements can be deprioritised or inconsistently applied depending on the manager’s personal views or workload.

Overall, the current structure places too much power and responsibility at the level of individual managers, without the checks, communication channels, or organisational culture needed to ensure fairness, transparency, and staff wellbeing across services.

I would put less than one star if possible but I can’t so -1 star for anyone reading, now the reasons are endless they call themselves a supported living but they are the furthest thing from it they will mess up your rent and leave you with a massive bill and take no care in trying to sort it out it will be your problem the messed up, not to mention the lack of care for the people they are suppose to be looking after to them you will just be another bonus or extra pay check for them they do not care if you are healthy or doing fine as long as you don’t bother them

🚩Manageress and a staff took our residents house meeting and made illegal demands to the residents yet it states on the poster residents house meeting residents have your say.

More TIME into the community they serves, i.e Bins collection, when found human thesis in my recycle bin, with horrible disgust i phoned sanctuary, they say /call the police or Brighton council, bassically saying. deal with it on your own. so that needs to be looked in depth. Big jobs.... waste of your time on the phone time. On the other positive note: gas electric, heating and water supply's always up to date.

I have had a rat gnawing at woodwork for 7 nights now. I reported this to the house manager on the morning after the frist night of gnawing. The noise is in the ceiling where my electric wires are.
Now 7 days later nothing has been done!
I am 81 years old and have been kept awake every night by this creature. All I get when I ask the manager is that she has reported it!
Since Sanctuary took over running this scheme repairs and maintenance have taken a back seat and we wait weeks and months for essential repairs.
Our main door automatic locking system went wrong and our doors were left unlocked forr over 2 weeks! We had no security at all! Anyone could have got in with nust one push
Sanctuary is dreadful!
I hate living under such lack of care but am too old and infirm to move house.

I stayed at one of the locations in 123 Tring Road, Aylesbury.
When I needed more a place to stay, here my review.

I had an absolutely wonderful stay at this location, Jenny and Sagar were exceptional kind, attentive, supportive and very patient.

From the start, everything was smooth and stress-free. The space was comfortable, and had everything I needed for a pleasant and relaxing stay.

It’s clear that Jenny and Sagar put a lot of care and professionalism.

The location was quiet and convenient, close to shops and public transport.

I’m truly grateful for their care, help and guidance.

I wish I made a good research about this company before applying for a job. I had an interview which was terrible. I felt unwelcome and uncomfortable. The way they staired at me was almost harrasment even I told them that I was nervous! Then I absolutely shit myself down by not answering the questions. I wanted it to finish asap so I could leave. I felt like they look down on me and made me feel like job was so pro expert and everything and I shouldn't be there. Wow... What a people! Sometimes I think that some employers invite you for an interview to insult you just to make themselves feel better as they are useless. I was told that I needed to wait a week to get result but they emailed me 30 mins after I left. Obviously, they are not that "expert" to tell me in my face that I was not successful! Yet, I new the result anyway.😂 I am glad that I didn't get the job. I just read all the reviews. If their service is that bad, imagine the staff. I wouldn't work people who has massive ego but no good service.

This place doesn't want people who care!!!!
Being shouted at embarrassed by another agent on my first day at taking calls. Being pulled off the floor for unnecessary meetings to show me up in front of my colleagues patronised in front of visitors ie (JJ) another housing association whom they have recently acquired. Being informed that I had ADHD. I also was being told by a manager constant negative reports Neve any positive. For a business to use the word charity beside their name is alarming in itself. Also witnessing other agents attitudes towards me becoming more disconnecting an extremely well greased machine to do more harm than it appears regarding those who have empathy and care.

dont bother crap managment who accuse you.

My 80 year old nan could not stand the noise from upstairs any longer. Shouting, screaming, very loud TV, radio you name it. Also, her bathroom ceiling constantly leaked whenever someone used the shower. We tried to address these concerns over and over again with Sanctuary but to no avail. I now moved my nan to a one-bedroom bungalow outside the city.

Worked for SSL in Suffolk which was the worst decision ever made in my whole working life! I ended up having no choice but for my own personal safety and mental health resigning.
Failures to keep staff safe aswell as the failing to keep people living in the scheme safe from violence within the property.
No up to date risk assessments after violence occurs, no staff after care who've been victim to attack.
Drugs freely dealt and staff reports to management ignored.
Staff had no safe area in high risk times.
Severely under trained staff left to manage people with some complex mental health issues which required professional help.
No health and safety in place.
No support for staff and pointless opening a grievance against management who've broken policy and procedure rules because they are ignored and the rules continue to be broken by management.
It's a disgrace that the company are allowed to be called a support service!
What I experienced in the time working for them can only be described as mentally exhausting, extremely failed and that's being kind.

This company is awful, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they were hit with a lawsuit in the future on how they treat their residents. It's disgusting and they should feel ashamed. They're rude, they lie and overall the do not care about anyone as long as they get there money. SaNCTUary should change there name to the letters in capitals. I cannot stress enough to anyone reading this, to associate with them. You will regret it if so and will see for yourself what there really like. They will deliver false promises just to reassure you, I know people that have been waiting months to years just to get simple things fixed. Stay away from them.

They don’t care at all. I was in the Felixstowe hostel for just under 3 years and all they did is treat you like a piece of crap on the bottom of their shoes. Staff never done there job never staff there 24hr a so your paying a bunch of people to sit there and ruin others people’s lives when they are clearly struggling enough! In my experience I asked so many times to have the carpet moved out my room! Now bear in mind it was in there before I moved wasn’t payed properly and they just refused. It’s disgusting don’t recommend this company at all. Also may I add that management are even worse because they don’t do anything either! Honestly only time this company would be doing any favours was if it was shut down for good

I worked at SSL for quite a few years in Bolton. SSL Bolton is possibly one of the best teams I have ever worked with in my career.A great bunch of staff and very good Manager.

I would have to agree with some of these bad reviews about Sanctuary Housing Care. My brother lives in Hillyard House SW9 0NH. They have an infestation of mice in a lot of the flats including my brother’s flat. Last year they had an infestation of flies in my brother’s bathroom.
Managers where actually blaming my brother for these problems. Each time the actually building was to blame for these problems. Sanctuary does not look after the structural damage of there building. The vulnerable people who live there often don’t have a voice because of there mental health problems where some have more severe problems than others. I am afraid without a good relative looking out for the family member, this Sanctuary Care is not good. I say this by experience. In there eyes your to shut up and be silent. They need to get rid of the dirty mice in their building in SW9 0NH.
My brother has now had two long hospital admissions. The first they had swarms off dirty flies in his bathroom. I asked them to plaster my brothers wall over his toilet pan and cover or renew the vent. The flies then went. MY BROTHER WAS NOT TO BLAME. Sanctuary Care do not like to do repairs for these very vulnerable people. It takes them up to 6 months or more to do any repair. The second time this year September 2022, my brother was dealing with having to see mice running through his flat every other day. This made him relapse in his mental health. He was put back into hospital. He is still in hospital. The staff in Hillyard House SW9 0NH are not kind. One or two are ok, but most would not give you the time of day. Relatives are not treated kindly. My brother become unwell once and went to hit me. I ran out of his flat and went to the staff downstairs for help. They was so rude in this building. I got no support even when I had called the police to the building. All they said was there was nothing they could do. I don’t speak to managers or staff anymore in the building my brother lives in.
Any one who is thinking of moving there, be warned your very much on your own. The staff wouldn’t give you the time of day. The repair service is appalling.
Sanctuary repair really could not care less about these vulnerable people in Hillyard House SW9 0NH. I waited almost a year to get the damp treated in my brothers bedroom. Finally they did it but left the job unfinished. Sanctuary Housing will not sign of the rest of the repair for the room to be decorated in the choice of colour my brother wants. Relatives find themselves grovelling in phone calls to try and get the rest of the repair done. It’s probably like this in all their properties.
Sanctuary Housing is a poor service. I say this only through experience of my brother living there. In my opinion Sanctuary Housing treat their vulnerable customers badly. They do not treat mentally ill people with respect. The repair service is a joke. GET RID OF YOUR DIRTY MICE in your Hillyard House building please Sanctuary Housing. You charge the Lambeth council enough for your rents. I don’t like the place . I talk through experience. My brother has lived in flat 33 for 6 years. His sister KF. I am sorry my review is poor but I tell the truth.

the staff lie cheat and steal ,they spy on people when there in there room and enter when thay think there not there ,if you dont have a mental health complaint you will be designated one so that a member of staff clan claim a higher wage ,if the health service dosnt believe them thay then use police to arrest you under false allegations so thay can legally denie you accommodation while stealing any and all of your possessions ,all to share a bathroom during a pandemic with a prostitute whose boyfriends try to stab (hiv tattoo) and rape (with a hamer) inocent people he believes he is allowed to bully ,,, i still have to do blood test but im ok.

Sanctuary claim that they support people with complex health problems to regain confidence and gain independent living skills.

This is pure fantasy. What they actually do is run dilapidated out-of-control slums where thugs, bullies, and drug peddlers are allowed to run rampant.

Their so-called support consists of unqualified part-time staff sitting in an office all day gossiping or sleeping all night while chaos reigns.

Ask for help, and you get treated as though you yourself are the problem. Complain to management, and you will just be fobbed off with empty promises.

If you ever end up in one of Sanctuary's facilities, it will ruin your mental health and destroy any remaining hopes and dreams you have.

It is disgusting that this organisation is allowed to make substantial profits from the public purse while ruining lives.

The longer the time goes by since I was in this place the more I can see clearly that I was not treated totally fairly by all staff working there. The staff at these places are supposed to treat everyone the same ~ according to their company guidelines,but I wasn't,I was picked on by the security staff. I know that near the end of my stay here it's true that Michael came into my Room without my permission,I was away at the time because he used my wash up sponge left near my sink to clean the microwave in my Room,because when I came back it had been used by someone else,I didn't know who for a while and it caused a rift between myself and Lisa who was a project worker there then because I thought she had come in and used it,then Angie the manager confirmed it had been Michael who had come into my Room and used it,after I spoke to her about that. I recall saying"Well nobody told me!" Come to think of it nobody asked my permission for Michael in security to come into my Room either.Michael thought I was too posh. He wants to stretch his bigoted mind a bit wider. Where did my 3 important books go? I kept them safe and locked away in my suitcase and they still went missing! Under his jurisdiction as security guard to keep things secure. Guess what I haven't forgotten about those books going missing and I never will.

This is re: my temporary stay at The Haven homeless hostel in Bridlington and after leaving not accusing any security staff recently when I phoned up to resolve a query.I was very polite to Michael the security guard when I phoned and if he had extended me the same courtesy and heard me out he would have been able to tell that I wasn't accusing him of anything,simply resolving a query. He put the phone down on me unnecessarily. I am uncomfortable with there being no CCTV footage during my homeless residence of the person who woke me up 3 times during the night before my 9am out of town job interview at Castle Recruitment in May 2017.This is not an accusation,it is a statement of fact.There is also no CCTV footage of some of my belongings being tampered with,3 books stolen out of my locked flat during my homeless stay.I have no idea who did this...