A Virtuous Circle: Creating Inclusive Residential Care for LGBTQ+ Elders (CIRCLE)

The prospect of finding appropriate housing and care arrangements can be daunting and overwhelming for any older person. This may be even more challenging if the older person identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or queer (LGBTQ+).

Many older LGBTQ+ people have experienced serious discrimination from public services in their lifetime, and many feel forced to hide their identity (opens new window) when accessing housing and care services, which can lead to significant distress and poorer health outcomes (opens new window). Service providers often do not explicitly advertise commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion, making it difficult for an older LGBTQ+ person to establish where they will feel safe to disclose their LGBTQ+ identity. Furthermore, many providers lack the confidence and skills (opens new window) to provide LGBTQ+ affirmative care and support. This is an important issue to address because it affects at least 1 million people in the UK, and they may have a greater reliance on social care (opens new window) as they are more likely to live alone. 

In the CIRCLE study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, we examined different ways care homes can be supported to improve their LGBTQ+ inclusive care offer. In September 2024, we published a free guide for care homes (available here (opens new window)), providing practical tips on how to provide LGBTQ+ inclusive care. The guide, featured on the BBC (opens new window), was designed in collaboration with older LGBTQ+ people and care home managers. Although the study and the guide focused on care homes, the guidance on inclusion can be applied to the housing (with care) sector. Several practical tips are highlighted below.

• Include LGBTQ+ people in the design of your services and inclusion policies.
• Recognise that people who belong to multiple marginalised groups (e.g. LGBTQ+ and minority ethnicity) may have unique experiences of inequality and discrimination that need to be addressed within your service.
• Build relationships and collaborate with local LGBTQ+ organisations.
• Provide consistent, lived-experienced led training to staff on LGBTQ+ inclusion and its relevance to housing and care.
• Use inclusive language when engaging with clients, such as partner instead of husband/wife.
• Be explicit and specific about your and your organisation’s commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion.
• Collect data on sexuality and gender identity so that inclusion can be monitored.

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Read the full guide here (opens new window).  And, for more information on the CIRCLE study visit the website (opens new window).

Dr Jolie Keemink is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Health Services Studies (opens new window) at The University of Kent. She is also the principal investigator of the study and is continuing her research on LGBTQ+ inclusion in care with a new project on the home care sector, together with Prof Paul Willis (opens new window), starting June 2025. For updates, see our website (opens new window). The Housing LIN also worked with Prof Wilis on the DICE Project.

And, if you this blog of interest, the Housing LIN is hosting a FREE HAPPI Hour on 3 June 2025 to coincide with Pride Month. Book your place and join Jolie and other speakers exploring affirmative LGBTQ+ housing and care developments.