SIL was formed in 1996 when a group of disabled people started campaigning for a pilot Direct Payment scheme in Herefordshire. Two years later SIL started providing Direct Payment Support Services and in 2004 we added our Supported Living service. SIL continues to be led by the people that need us; around half of our Trustees are service users or family carers. We think this makes us who we are; a charity which is committed to helping people to live as independently as possible. Helping them live confidently within their own homes and making their own choices over how they want to live their lives. Their knowledge and experiences help to inform our decisions and drive us as an organisation. Our focus is on people not profits. We work in partnership with Local Authorities, the Health Service and other voluntary and local organisations and individuals to improve the lives of disabled and older people and their family carers, and to facilitate their participation in and integration into society.