On 18 March more than 190 housing leaders, policymakers, and providers attended a webinar addressing the urgent need for more suitable housing for older people, particularly those on middle incomes.
The event was organised by Abdul A Ravat (Abbeyfield Living Society, NHF Older Persons Housing Group) and myself, with support from Charity Bank.
Discussions focused on:
- increasing supply of affordable older persons' housing;
- engaging government and stakeholders for effective delivery;
- identifying levers to jump-start the delivery process.
Following the event, 15 key asks for Government were identified:
1. A National Housing Strategy – a cross-government strategy specifically for older people.
2. Increase housing supply – designate 10-20% of new homes for older people.
3. Promote multi-generational communities – draw on lessons learned from Healthy New Towns.
4. Recognise a diverse ageing population – improve culturally sensitive solutions.
5. Create a new funding regime – ensure separate capital funding regime for older people's housing.
6. Guarantee housing provision – ensure increased funding tangibly benefits older people's housing.
7. Reform the Older Person's Shared Ownership model – make shared ownership more accessible and fairer for middle-income elders.
8. Support remodelling – provide grants for upgrading, refurbishing or replacing older specialist housing stock
9. Prevent loss of stock from the sector – facilitate transfers of sheltered housing to specialist providers to drive improvement.
10. Accessible Homes Standard as a minimum – adopt age-friendly and accessible building standards on all newbuilds.
11. Support private renters – develop rental products focused on older people and multi-generational living.
12. Rental income certainty – agree a 10-year rent settlement for social housing.
13. Funding support – ensure adequate funding for staffing and technology in sheltered and extra care housing.
14. National advice hub – create a digital hub, with offline customer support, for older people and their families to explore housing options.
15. Upgrade existing homes – enhance Disabled Facilities Grants and develop a register of adapted housing.
We are advocating for a National Older People's Housing Strategy that addresses the housing and community facilities needed for an ageing population.
Read the briefing in full here and please share these key asks.
Liz Zacharias is a Director at Campbell Tickell
