Hot off the press: HLINks – a kaleidoscope of latest sector news, views and essential resources
Welcome to Jeremy talks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's free weekly bulletin, HLINks, week ending Friday, 11 September 2020.
It’s been another bumper week of news with the government setting out it’s latest rules to limit the spread of Covid-19 by making social gatherings of more than 6 people indoors or outdoors illegal from Monday, 14 September. We will be updating our Practice Briefing accordingly.
In other news, the Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick MP announced a raft of measures to stimulate the housing market, with further details in Homes England’s Affordable Housing Programme prospectus, including how 10% of the allocations will be used to support programme delivery to increase the supply of much needed specialist or supported housing.
In addition, coupled with the recent Planning White Paper, the government announced a new consultation to consider how best to raise accessibility standards for all new homes in recognition of the importance of suitable homes for older and disabled people.
In this week’s HLINks, we also feature our latest guest blog on Coastline Housing’s Click and Connect service in Cornwall. You can read about this and a round-up of other relevant news and events on later life living with regard to homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, planning matters and more in this comprehensive bulletin.
Check it out and register here to keep in touch with our news alerts and other notifications of your choice, sent direct to your inbox. And remember you can also follow us via our Twitter feeds: @HousingLIN, @HousingLINews and @HLINConsult.
Lastly, if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted, share learning about your work and/or discuss how our consultancy services can assist you, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk
You can also listen to Jeremy talks… here
Best wishes and stay connected and be safe,
Jeremy
This week’s Housing LIN guest blog
In the same storm in different ships: how Coastline customers navigated the lockdown by connecting over shared interests
Coastline’s Director of Housing, Assets and Communities and Housing LIN SW Leadership Set member, Louise Beard, highlights how they have kept in touch with their residents during the pandemic and describes their Click and Connect service - a space for people to share interests, have conversations, and celebrate strengths and resilience at a time of such great isolation and uncertainty.
Coronavirus Update
Check out on our Coronavirus Info Hub for a range of Housing LIN practice briefings for the sector and links to other useful information and websites. Also, post or reply to questions on our discussion forum. It allows you to share information, raise issues and ask questions to solve a tricky issue. For example, can you share your organisation’s COVID-19 risk plan in preparation for the 2nd wave or information about how you are engaging with residents?
In the news this week:
- Government guidance: Making a support bubble with another household
- Public Health England dashboard: The COVID-19 dashboard: bringing together data and statistics in one place
- Government information: Local restrictions: areas with an outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Updated guidance: COVID-19: Guidance for the safe use of multi-purpose community facilities
- Mental Health and Covid Research findings: Impact on mental health care and on mental health service users of the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods survey of UK mental health care staff
Housing, Community, Disability, and Ageing
- MHCLG announcement: Jenrick unveils £12 billion boost for affordable homes
- Homes England: Information on how to apply for the Affordable Homes Programme 2021 to 2026
- Ambition for Ageing report: Ageing in Place for Minority Ethnic Communities: The importance of social infrastructure
Opinion pieces and blogs:
- Knight Frank blog: Rental options for seniors housing set to more than double in five years
- LifeStory Group article: Steepleton matched all the criteria for one downsizing couple
- Local Government First article: An old solution to today’s housing needs
- Shape Homes York video: Meet Norma and Harry…
- Penn State University Article (USA): Strategies for engaging older adults in this era of 'social distancing'
- SCIE blog: Winnie's world: Affordable independent living
Design, Construction and Technology
MHCLG Accessible Homes consultation
As mentioned under #Jeremytalks above, the government has announced that the consultation on the accessibility of new homes. They state: “We are consulting on views on how to raise accessible housing standards further, including the option to raise this minimum standard for all new homes. A higher minimum standard would require additional features including having a living area at entrance level and step-free access to all entrance level rooms and facilities, wider doorways and corridors as well as clear access routes to reach windows. It would also include further features to make homes more easily adaptable over time to a wide range of occupants, including older people, those with reduced mobility and some wheelchair users, for example sanitary provisions that can be adapted easily for installation of grab rails and stairs designed to allow easy fit of a stair lift.”
In other News
- CIH paper: Warm Homes and a Safe Environment: How government and the housing sector can work together to tackle climate change
- LGA report: Digital innovation in adult social care: how we’ve been supporting communities during COVID-19
Opinion pieces and blogs:
- Housing Today article: Plan to make all new homes meet ‘lifetime’ standard
- Invisible Creations youtube video: Ep: 7 On The Fly W/Laura Wood
- AT Today Guest article: The socio-economic benefits of assistive technology and why we must invest
Health and care
- SCIE report: Beyond COVID: New thinking on the future of adult social care
- KCL research paper: Choice, control and person-centredness in day centres for older people
Opinion pieces and blogs:
- NHS England blog: Ambitions for hospital discharge
Dementia
Housing and Dementia
It’s World Alzheimer’s Month and, to coincide, the 2nd virtual inquiry session of the APPG on Housing and Care for Older People Inquiry on the housing experiences of people living with dementia takes place on 21 September. While the current call for evidence is formally closed, do email us any examples of innovative practice at: dementia@housinglin.org.uk
Planning tracker
Older People’s Care Development – Local Development Plan Monitoring
In association with Tetlow King Planning, this document monitors current local authority planning consultations that may be of interest for those seeking to develop housing for older people. The tracker is updated fortnightly.
Wales
Welsh government guidance on COVID-19 can be found at: https://gov.wales/coronavirus
Scotland
Scottish government guidance on COVID-19 can be found at https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/
And note it’s #ScottishHousingDay on Wednesday, 16th September.
Housing LIN resumes networking events this month – join us for HAPPI Hour
The Housing LIN’s exciting new virtual platform offers chance to resume networking and stay connected with latest policy and practice developments, and recent publications and research findings.
We held the first of our autumn HAPPI Hour programme yesterday on homelessness under lockdown. And, under our new HAPPI Hour brand, we have 2 further free, online events taking place this month – see our events page below. Drinks not included!
Forthcoming Housing LIN HAPPI Hours
- HAPPI days: what makes and award-winnings scheme? (17 September)
- Supported housing: transforming the housing choices for people with complex needs (24 September)
We are also planning an exciting programme of October HAPPI Hours. Watch this space!
Other events
We are pleased to be involved/support the following virtual events:
- Planning for the future: what are the implications for retirement and supported living? Free breakfast event (29 September)
- ULI later living –housing with care digital events (24 September and 8 October)
- Appello - 4 enablers to a better living experience in supported housing (8 October)
- Healthy City Design 2020: International Congress & Exhibition (12 to 13 October)
- HRF Academic Conference - Happy Homes, Happy Society? (12 to 13 November)
Workhome Project Update
Thank you to everyone who responded to our recent working from home survey for the Workhome Project. We had an impressive response rate with nearly 200 submissions. The responses are currently being analysed by the Workhome Project.
We look forward to sharing the results in due course. In the meantime, we were pleased to report that Lord Kerslake, former Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities and chair of the APPG on Housing and Social Mobility Inquiry into housing and employment, referenced the issues from the project in an article in The Times last week (subscription only).
Next week
Next week is Accessible Homes Week and we will be publishing a case study of Linc Cymru’s new extra care housing scheme in Maesteg and how the design of the scheme has enabled them to protect residents from Coronavirus to date. We also are supporting a new TCPA campaign of a Healthy Homes Bill which is being formally launched and presented in Parliament next week.
The Housing LIN would like to thank Willmott Dixon for their support in producing this newsletter.