The government published a report describing the various initiatives that were being taken, or were due to be launched, to implement its strategy on housing for older people.
Source: Delivering Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods: A national strategy for housing in an ageing society, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Dec
A report examined the issue of housing and migration. It called on the government to improve regulation of housing conditions in the private rented sector, and ensure a more effective housing and welfare safety net for migrants and non-migrants alike.
Source: Elizabeth O'Hara, No Place Like Home? Addressing the issues of housing and migration, Shelter (020 7505 4699)
Links: Report | Shelter press release | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Oct
A report said that migrant workers too often found themselves living in expensive, overcrowded, and poor-quality accommodation. It made a series of recommendations designed to address existing accommodation issues, and create systems that would respond to future migration.
Source: Diane Diacon, Ben Pattison, Jim Vine and Silvia Yafai,Home from Home: Addressing the issues of migrant workers' housing, Building and Social Housing Foundation (01530 510444)
Links: Report | BSHF press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2008-Oct
A report examined the housing needs and aspirations of minority ethnic communities. It showed how demographic, spatial, and economic factors had influenced BME tenure patterns, and how changes in these patterns would affect their demand for affordable housing in the future.
Source: Housing Needs and Aspirations of Ethnic Minority Communities, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Date: 2008-Oct
A paper examined the practical challenges that South Asian elders faced in meeting their housing and support needs.
Source: The Housing, Care and Support Needs of South Asian Elders, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Sep
A paper said that most social housing landlords did not give sufficiently detailed descriptions of housing developments or schemes to elderly people or those acting on their behalf.
Source: The Need for a Common Language to Describe Older People's Housing, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Sep
A report summarized the key findings of a review of Home Improvement Agencies (which help vulnerable people to maintain their independence through the repair or adaptation of their home). HIAs had been successful in meeting older and vulnerable people's needs: but they needed to adapt to meet the aspirations of the government's strategy for housing in an ageing society.
Source: Foundations (National Co-ordinating Body for Home Improvement Agencies), The Future Home Improvement Agency: Supporting choice and maintaining independence – A report overview, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Sep
A paper examined the Extra Care Housing Fund, announced by the Department of Health in 2003 to develop innovative housing with care options for older people, and to stimulate effective local partnerships between health, social services, and housing agencies and providers.
Source: Robin Darton et al., Evaluation of the Extra Care Housing Funding Initiative: Initial Report, Discussion Paper 2506/02, Personal Social Services Research Unit/University of Kent (01227 823963)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Jun
A report evaluated a programme of projects designed to develop and test practical solutions to housing issues affecting older people.
Source: Moyra Riseborough and Peter Fletcher, Towards an Ageing Society: Final evaluation report of HACT's Older People's Programme, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000) and Housing Associations' Charitable Trust
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Jun
A literature review examined social well-being in extra care housing. Older people indicated that having good social relationships, having a 'social role', and taking part in social activities, were crucial to their quality of life.
Source: Lisa Callaghan, Social Well-Being in Extra Care Housing: An overview of the literature, Personal Social Services Research Unit/University of Kent (01227 823963)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Jun
A briefing paper provided an overview of what was known about the housing circumstances of disabled children and their families. Families with a disabled child were less likely to be living in a decent home compared to families with a non-disabled child. Those with a disabled child were 50 per cent more likely than other families to live in overcrowded accommodation, to rate their home as being in a poor state of repair, and to report problems with wiring, draughts, and damp in the child's bedroom.
Source: Bryony Beresford with Dave Rhodes, Housing and Disabled Children, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2008-Jun
The early findings were published of research into social well-being in 'extra care housing' projects – a model of housing-with-care that aimed to meet the housing, care, and support needs of older people, while helping them to maintain independence within their own private accommodation.
Source: Lisa Callaghan, Ann Netten, Robin Darton, Theresia Baumker and Jacquetta Holder, Social Well-being in Extra Care Housing: Emerging themes, Personal Social Services Research Unit/University of Kent (01227 823963)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Jun
A report said that families with disabled children were more likely than other families to be living in bad housing – indeed, they might be one of the worst housed groups. It called for the government to: ensure that all English regions were considering the housing needs of families with disabled children in their housing strategies; amend the 'bedroom standard' to reflect the need for all disabled children to have a separate bedroom from other children in their household; and issue guidance reminding children's services departments of their existing legal duty to fund adaptations.
Source: Disabled Children and Housing, Every Disabled Child Matters (020 7843 6448)
Links: Report | EDCM press release | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Jun
A study examined the housing aspirations of second-generation south Asian and white British women. It questioned whether provision and services established to cater for first-generation migrants remained relevant for second-generation south Asian women.
Source: Bethan Harries, Liz Richardson, and Andri Soteri-Proctor, Housing Aspirations for a New Generation: Perspectives from white and south Asian British women, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700) for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2008-Jun
A report said that the impact of a slowdown in the economy combined with the crisis in the banking system could lead to 2 million households, or 5 million people, on the waiting list for social housing within less than two years.
Source: Councils and the Housing Crisis: The potential impacts and knock-on effects of the credit crunch on councils and their housing role, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report | LGA press release | Shelter press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-May
A report examined demographic, spatial, and economic impacts on future affordable housing demand. Demand was high, despite a lack of marketing or promotion of the tenure. Only a small proportion of owner-occupiers wanted to live in social housing: but private renters were more divided, with around one-half of lower-income groups saying that they would like to live in it.
Source: Anna Clarke, Alex Fenton, Sanna Markkanen, Sarah Monk and Christine Whitehead, Understanding Demographic, Spatial and Economic Impacts on Future Affordable Housing Demand, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Date: 2008-May
Researchers examined the effectiveness of floating-support services for the Supporting People programme, and the balance needed between floating-support and accommodation-based services.
Source: Civis Policy Consulting Research, Research into the Effectiveness of Floating Support Services for the Supporting People programme, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Apr
The government responded to a taskforce report on site provision for Gypsy/Traveller communities. It said that its approach balanced 'firm but fair enforcement' against those who camped on land without permission or who breached development control, with proactive measures to increase site provision.
Source: Government Response to The Road Ahead: The Final Report of the Independent Task Group on Site Provision and Enforcement for Gypsies and Travellers, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Date: 2008-Apr
A report said that housing advice should play a much wider role in helping individuals and families address their long-term housing aspirations. A 'holistic' advice service could help individuals think about their income, financial stability, work and training prospects, and health and support needs. It could help identify medium- to long-term housing options rather than just address short-term needs, whether in the private sector or in affordable housing.
Source: Sam Lister and Paul Muir, Modernising Housing Advice, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700)
Links: Report | CIH press release
Date: 2008-Mar
A report examined the situation of older owner-occupiers with moderate learning disabilities who lived in homes needing urgent repairs and/or adaptations.
Source: Lorna Easterbrook, Living on the Edge: Enabling older owner occupiers with moderate learning disabilities to live independently, Care & Repair England (0115 950 6500)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Mar
The government published a strategy designed to give older people greater choice in housing, and to enable more of them to live independently in their own homes. From 2013, all new homes would have to be built to age-friendly designs – these standards would apply to all new social housing from 2011. There would be a new national housing advice and information service providing expert advice for older people, including helping them to access low-cost or free maintenance and repairs services. There would be increased funding through the disabled facilities grant to help more people to make crucial adaptations to their homes. A linked research report examined the factors which influenced the housing decisions of older people.
Source: Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods: A national strategy for housing in an ageing society, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236) | Karen Croucher, Housing Choices and Aspirations of Older People: Research from the New Horizons Programme, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Strategy | Hansard | DCLG press release | Research report | Help the Aged press release | LGA press release | Housing Corporation press release | RTPI press release | TCPA press release | CIH press release | NHF press release | JRF press release | Care & Repair England press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Community Care report | BBC report | New Start report
Date: 2008-Feb
An article examined how care-leavers accessed and used housing services, and what they said had helped them to do so. Care-leavers had more positive housing experiences than other young people in difficulty, helped by the improved preparation for independence and ongoing support available to them from leaving care teams.
Source: Antonia Simon, 'Early access and use of housing: care leavers and other young people in difficulty', Child & Family Social Work, Volume 13 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Feb
A report examined housing and migration issues. Only 1 per cent of council or housing association accommodation had been allocated to recent immigrants from the new European Union countries; 90 per cent of these immigrants were renting from private landlords.
Source: Joanne Roney, Housing Report to the Migration Impacts Forum, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Jan
An independent study examined the financial benefits of the Supporting People programme. Investment in packages of support that included housing support services was found to avoid costs elsewhere, and therefore produced a net financial benefit.
Source: Tom Ashton and Dan Turl, Research into the Financial Benefits of the Supporting People Programme, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | DCLG press release | Crisis press release | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jan
A study examined the supply and condition of sheltered housing in Scotland; changes and barriers to change; costs of developing, maintaining, and staffing sheltered housing; issues relating to low or high demand; the changing role of sheltered housing; residents' experiences of sheltered housing; and the future housing aspirations of older people.
Source: Karen Croucher, Diana Sanderson, Karin Lowson, Stephen Chaplin, Dianne Wright, Review of Sheltered Housing in Scotland, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Date: 2008-Jan
