Throughout the year we will be sharing information on our campaign focus areas. Those topics we feel strongly about and are fighting for on behalf of our members.
This month we are discussing housing.
Whatever your age, where you live matters. The UK is facing a housing crisis, with many struggling to get their foot on the first step of the housing ladder. Those in later life are also facing housing problems, often linked inextricably to ageing. It is time that we re-imagine the future for housing in later life.
A lack of suitable housing
There is a chronic shortage of available, suitable housing in the UK for those in later life as housebuilding rates continue to fail to meet UK Government targets, with only 216,000 new homes supplied in 2020-21 against targets of 300,000.
Meanwhile, specialist retirement housing accounts for just 2.6% of the UK’s housing stock, with a shortage of nearly half a million older people’s housing units. This means that many older people are in accommodation that is no longer suitable for their needs, which not only impacts their quality of life but also their friends, children and grandchildren, who cannot themselves access the family homes they need due to lack of supply.
At the same time, many older people would like to stay in their own homes, but often these homes are not fit for purpose. We are therefore calling for all new homes to meet Lifetime Homes Standards, thoughtfully designed to provide better living environments for everyone, including those coping with illness or reduced mobility in later life.
As part of Later Life Ambitions we are calling for the Lifetime Homes Standard to be strengthened into a National Housing Strategy, to provide accessible and affordable homes that can adapt to the changing needs of later life throughout the whole of the UK.
The Lifetime Homes Standard
The Lifetime Homes Standard was developed in 1991 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Habinteg Housing Association, identifying 16 design criteria intended to make homes adaptable at a minimum cost as their inhabitants’ needs and requirements change with ageing. The UK Government previously wanted to see all new homes built to the Standard. Since 2015, however, adaptability requirements have been optional for house builders.
We are calling for the Lifetime Homes Standard to be strengthened into a National Housing Strategy, to provide accessible and affordable homes that can adapt to the changing needs of later life throughout the whole of the UK.
