Sheltered housing: yesterday’s need,
today’s choice, tomorrow’s aspiration?
Jeremy Porteus
29 March 2012
EROSH
Housing our ageing population
• 90% of older people live in
ordinary housing
• Nearly 70% are home owners, the
remainder are predominantly in
social housing (27% EHS)
• Supported housing for older
people accounts for less than 5%
of the market (729,818 units)
• 1.5m individuals report having a
medical condition or disability that
requires specially adapted
accommodation
• Greater emphasis on Living Well
at Home
• Link with health and social care?
What’s the care picture?
• There are approx 18,450 care homes in England
• There are approx 4,897 home care agencies providing support
to people living at home
• There are approx 36,000 units of extra care in England
• But ageing population, especially over 85s and people with
dementia. Where should sheltered housing sit?
Latest solutions for independent living for an
ageing society – Living Well at Home
• How might accommodation and
care for older people change over
next 20-30 years to cater for ‘baby
boomers’?
• What impact will changing wealth
and tenure on accommodation and
services older people might want
as opposed to might need
• What will the implications of levels
of equity held by older people,
estimated to be nearly £1trillion
• How best to use the considerable
asset of sheltered housing in the
UK, estimated to be £40billion
Planning for tomorrow’s aspirations
Understanding local markets!
• Planning for an ageing population
alongside tightening eligibility criteria
and Increasing self-funder market
• Use of equity release to support ‘last
time movers’ downsize to purposebuilt ‘care ready’ housing and/or to
pay for personal care and support?
• Councils to develop a ‘Market
Position Statement’
• How can this support the ‘new deal
for older people’ locally?
• Link to wider health and social care
agendas eg prevention and
reablement
• Age friendly neighbourhoods or
Naturally Occurring retirement
communities
A ‘grey’ housing market
A future Agenda – the generation game
• What scope is there for better planning, commissioning and/or
access capital funding to promote innovation or stimulate a housing
with care market?
• How to respond to personalisation and co-production eg more cohousing, almshouses, resident led services/management, new
leasehold or “boomer” products?
• How best do you engage, involve and listen to the housing with
care needs of older people and their carers?
• How affordable will sheltered housing benefit be? Benefit
dependent or private purchaser?
• Better design for access and adaptability for new build eg HAPPI
design component
• How to make best use of existing stock, its purpose in local
communities
• Can sheltered housing maximise independence for people and
provide real choice or is the future more residential care and home
based care and support and it become the new Extra Care!?
Useful references
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Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods, DCLG (2008)
Housing our Ageing Population: Panel for Innovation, Homes and
Communities Agency (2009)
Homes for our Old Age, CABE (2009)
In your Lifetime, National Housing Federation (2010)
Good homes in which to grow old, Local Government Association (2010)
Living Well at Home, All Party Parliamentary Report on Housing and
Care for Older People (2011)
Age of Opportunity Centre for Social Justice (2011)
Consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework, Department of
Communities and Local Government (2011)
Design for older people HCA (2011)
Strategic Housing for Older People, Housing Learning and Improvement
Network (2011)
Government housing strategy and ‘grey deal’ (2011)
The market will demand a growing variety of independent living choices to meet
the diverse of needs and aspirations of older people.
Thank You
Jeremy Porteus
Housing LIN
c/o EAC
3rd Floor, 89 Albert Embankment
London, SE1 7TP
UK
email: j.porteus@housinglin.org.uk
email: info@housinglin.org.uk
tel: 07899 652626
tel: 020 7820 8077
website: www.housinglin.org.uk