The time to act is now – get into shape

SHAPE is a call to action. It stands for Suitable Housing for an Ageing Population Evidence Exchange.

As so many reports and research findings have proven we cannot continue to treat unsuitable housing as an inevitable consequence of ageing or wait until people reach crisis point before recognising that their homes no longer meet their needs. Nor can we afford to see housing, health and social care as separate systems when the quality of our homes so fundamentally shapes our health, independence and wellbeing.

SHAPE is ambitious but much more than that. We are committed to moving from aspiration to implementation; from isolated examples of innovation to lasting change, and from short-term responses to long-term investment in the homes (both existing and those to be developed) and communities we all need as we grow older.

Lasting change means housing providers must put accessibility, adaptability and the changing needs of an ageing population at the heart of their decisions. Health and social care commissioners must recognise suitable housing as part of the infrastructure of prevention and wellbeing. Housing is clearly a public health issue so why can’t the governance and funding be joined up. Policymakers and funders must create the conditions for sustained investment and cross-sector collaboration. And local leaders must bring organisations and communities, including older voices, together to turn evidence into practical solutions.

SHAPE offers an opportunity to make that happen to codesign, test new approaches, build partnerships and do something different. But its success will depend on the willingness of organisations to engage, challenge their own established practice and translate their learning into mainstreamed change.

So, our challenge is simple: what will you do differently? How will your organisation and/or local partnership help ensure that people can live well in homes and communities that support them—not undermine them—as they grow older?

We invite housing, health and social care professionals, policymakers, voluntary and community sector organisations working in co-production mode with older people to apply for funding.

For those awarded funding there will be continued support from the SHAPE Advisory Group. Beyond the projects we will establish leadership development and resources to ensure that change ripples out to become how people do business. Each site will also need to include evaluation to demonstrate its impact.

The homes and communities we create today will shape the experience of ageing for generations to come. We have the evidence, we have examples of what works, and we have a growing imperative to act.

Let’s use SHAPE to turn what we know into what we do—and make suitable housing a reality for everyone as they grow older.

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The call goes live on Tuesday, 27 October 2026 when the Housing LIN host a HAPPI Hour webinar that afternoon at 4.00pm.
Click here to register to attend.

The call then remains open till Friday, 12 March 2027. If in doubt about your eligibility or whether your idea might be funded, there is advice from the Vivensa Foundation’s Sarah Allport: sarah@vivensafoundation.org.uk

There are also a range of relevant resources on the Housing LIN website at: https://www.housinglin.org.uk/shape/
and https://www.housinglin.org.uk