A mixed age, intergenerational living model of extra care housing in Leicester

Written by Natasha Bednall, Business Change Commissioning Manager at Leicester City Council, this Housing LIN Case Study (No. 164) provides the local context for the development of Abbey Mill and the Wolsey Building; two extra care schemes comprising of one- and two-bedroom self-contained apartments for rent.

Located in the Belgrave area, near Leicester’s “Golden Mile”, Abbey Mill and the Wolsey Building are unlike most extra care housing schemes. Tenants in Abbey Mill are a mix of working-age adults with a care and support needs as well as older adults. As the two schemes are connected and share facilities in the Wolsey Building, there is a mixed-age community across the two schemes.

The majority of people responding to a tenant survey agreed that the mix of tenants aged 18+ in Abbey Mill and aged 55+ in the Wolsey building had a positive impact, ensuring a diverse environment.

The scheme manager’s observation on the mixed age community was also very positive:

"Some of our younger residents help out the older ones with shopping etc, and some of the older ones support the younger ones who may not have family. This makes for a nice community of people who can balance each other’s strengths and needs."

Underpinned by Leicester City Council’s 2021-2031 Supported Living and Extra Care Housing Strategy (opens new window), this case study captures the findings of an evaluation into the effectiveness of a mixed-age model in extra care and shares how this mixed-age community approach promotes independence and prevents social isolation by empowering people to engage with their community.

You can also watch Natasha talk about the development at our June HAPPI Hour webinar, Last homes not first homes: Housing and planning for an ageing population (opens new window).