HLINks - This week’s essential news, views, resources and upcoming events from the Housing LIN
Welcome to #Jeremytalks and our must-read weekly bulletin, #HLINks, week-ending Friday, 26 March 2021.
Reflecting on this time 12 months ago, as Coronavirus was taking hold, we had no other choice but to cancel our high-profile annual conference in Manchester which would have been exactly a year ago today, our health and safety was paramount. Since then we have quickly come to terms with new patterns of networking, going digital and even learning a new online language, of “you’re on mute” and “next slide please”. Next paragraph please!
In our news highlights, we were delighted to have contributed an essay to ARCO’s important new report, ‘The Housing with Care Grey Paper’, which was published this week. In addition, the ADASS/TSA Commission released its report, ‘Exploring how technology can be truly integrated into adult social care’, making reference to the Housing LIN’s Dunhill Medical Trust funded TAPPI Project. You can also read about the National Residential Landlords Association’s report and accompany guidance for private landlords on making adaptations.
In this week’s #HLINks, you can also take a tour of other news and events on later life housing and independent living with regard to homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, planning matters and more. In particular, we draw attention to the Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network’s Charter launch yesterday. This sets out 4 key asks for improving the housing choices and quality of homes for people with a learning disability. And ahead of the government national strategy for disabled people, the Centre of Social Justice Disability Commission have published their report on disability equality, ‘Now is the time’. There is a useful chapter on housing.
Check all the latest news and register here to keep in touch with all our 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
Finally, if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted in this week’s issue, share learning about your work and/or discuss how you can engage our highly regarded consultancy services to assist you, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk
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Thanks for listening, stay connected and, above all, be safe.
Jeremy
New Housing LIN Resources
A roadmap to housing for an ageing population
The Housing LIN’s Jeremy Porteus was one of 14 leaders who contributed essays to this recent ARCO Housing with Care Grey Paper. In it he gives both his personal observations about his parents’ domestic situation in later life and gives thought to the essential key components for creating a roadmap on housing for ageing.
Coronavirus Update
With the Prime Minister’s announcement this week of the 4 steps to unlock the current national lockdown, check out our Coronavirus Info Hub for the latest government guidance, a range of Housing LIN practice briefings for the sector and links to other useful information and websites.
We have also identified the following item as useful read:
Do also post any 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 or information about how you are engaging with residents remotely?
Housing, Community, Disability, and Ageing
The Housing with Care Grey Paper: Personal stories and policy ideas on strengthening housing with care for older people
A cross-party group of MPs and Peers have joined forces with leaders from academia, finance, local politics and housing to call for urgent Government action to improve housing and care options for older people, in a new ‘Housing with Care Grey Paper’ published ARCO. The paper with a series of essays by sector leaders, including the Housing LIN’s Jeremy Porteus, says the UK is at a “critical juncture” and one of its recommendations calls for a cross-government Housing with Care Task Force.
Dunhill Medical Trust call for proposals pre-announcement: building and delivering suitable living environments and communities for an ageing population
In November 2020, Dunhill Medical Trust published their priorities for the next five years in a new strategic framework, including supporting a smaller number of larger community programmes, focusing in particular on those which create age-friendly living environments, connect older people to the wider community and enable them to stay in their own homes for longer. More info to be released mid-April.
NRLA calls on local authorities work with private landlords to close the adapted properties gap
The National Residential Landlords Association has launched a report and guidance to help inform landlords of the role they can play in supporting the UK’s ageing population and disabled renters. The report mark a shift in the way in which external stakeholders engage with landlords as efforts increase towards improving the provision of suitably adapted homes in the PRS. While the guidance aims to support landlords in better managing tenant requests for home adaptations and direct them in how to approach funding, such as DFGs, and carrying out adaptations.
Now is the time: A report by the CSJ Disability Commission
Ahead of the upcoming National Strategy for Disabled People, the Centre for Social Justice Disability Commission has published a report with ambitious and transformational recommendations across a range of goods and services sectors, including housing (chapter 4). On the latter, it calls for a new approach to building more accessible homes, improving adaptations to existing homes, and a new approach to housing advertisement and allocation in the private and social rented sectors.
Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit Survey
And remember, to help the government with understanding the barriers that disabled people face and what it may need to focus upon to improve the lives of disabled people, the Cabinet Office in preparing a National Strategy are seeking the views people with disabilities to know more about their experiences.
If you are a disabled person, a carer or parent or as someone who has an interest in disability issues, please complete the online survey by 23 April 2021 if you would like to inform the development of the strategy. The survey is also available in other formats.
Other news and blogs
- Building feature: Cost model: Later living provision
- Unissu YouTube interview (login): Reimagining Later Life Living for an Ageing Population with Jeremy Porteus
- Demos report: Post Pandemic Places
- Health and Care Scot article: Health & Care - Story
- MHCLG supported housing pilots extension announced: Pilots to improve supported housing for vulnerable people extended
- OnLondon article: Tonic Housing's pioneering LGBT+ retirement community must be the first of many
- Local Government Chronicle article: A long-term strategic approach to housing and care is essential
- Inside Housing article: Green Homes Grant could be the second energy-efficiency scheme to fail in a decade – what should be done?
Design, Construction, Planning and Technology
Lack of digital social care means people and practitioners are missing out, says Commission
Exploring how technology can be truly integrated into adult social care.
Not enough local authorities or care providers are using available technology within social care to keep people safe, happy and healthy at home, according to the final report of an ADASS/TSA Commission exploring the issue.
Launched at the 2021 ITEC conference, the Commission found pockets of best practice but concluded that projects are rarely joined up and turned into intelligence to prevent people reaching a crisis.
It is calling on Government to fund a two-year programme of 10 social care innovation projects to begin the process of normalising the use of digital within social care.
Digital inclusion and older people – how have things changed in a Covid-19 world?
New analysis from Age UK shows that the pandemic has not in fact produced a sea-change in older people’s use of digital technology, warning that a drift towards services and activities being online. It shows that while just under a quarter of over-75s in England have increased their internet usage since the pandemic hit, this is mainly driven by existing users going online more often. Most older online users say their use has remained unchanged, with nearly one in 10 actually using it less.
TAPPI: final week for written submissions
Further to the call for evidence for examples and research on how the use of technology has transformed how you operate, design and build new or retrofit existing homes and/or deliver better outcomes for your customers, we are into the final week for receiving submissions. The deadline is Wednesday, 31 March 2021. Have your say to inform and influence the Inquiry Panel!
Other news and blogs
- Accessible PRS blog: Why don’t we build homes that are fit for purpose?
- Habinteg blog: “My accessible home has given me my life back,” says John Laville
- Horizon Housing blog: 496 digitally excluded Scottish households to get online
- Health Foundation article: Poll reveals positive experience of NHS tech during COVID, but public not yet sold on future use
Health and Social Care, Mental Health and Learning Disability
Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network launch Charter
The Learning Disability and Autism Housing Network is a coalition of twelve housing associations calling for action to address the barriers for new, sustainable quality housing for people with a learning disability and/or autism. They have launched a Charter which sets out four key actions to ensure the supply of strategically planned sustainable, quality supported housing for people with a learning disability and/or autism which provides long-term positive benefits for them and delivers value for money for social care and health commissioners.
Learning Disability England and Housing LIN producing 2 new guides – can you help?
As reported last week, we are working jointly with LDE who have been commissioned by NHS England, to write 2 guides on choosing and finding where to live. The guides will help commissioners and people with learning disabilities and autistic people plan for and get a home that works for them.
LDE are looking for examples of information on ways of working that people think are good – can you help? If so, please email: info@LDEngland.org.uk
Other news and blogs:
- Coalition for Personalised Care report: Understanding and aligning link worker and community capacity building activity: A place-based approach in York and Wakefield
Housing and Dementia
APPG on Dementia – call for evidence
The APPG on Dementia is accepting written evidence as a part of its’ Inquiry into dementia research in the UK and the Government’s commitment to double dementia research funding. The Housing LIN has submitted information. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, 31 March 2021.
APPG Inquiry report on housing and dementia
And did you miss this last month? Watch and listen again to the launch of the new APPG Inquiry report on housing and dementia here and be inspired by Wendy Mitchell as she shares her personal story about living with dementia.
Brunelcare is recruiting for a trustee with a background in housing association finance to join its board
Celebrating their 80th year in 2021, Brunelcare is a charity providing a range of supported housing and social care in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Somerset.
They are looking for an experienced housing association finance professional to complement the skills and experience of their existing board.
This is a crucial time for the organisation as they continue to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic, plan recovery, and look to the future with the development of both a new asset management strategy and wider organisational strategy.
The successful applicant will have a skill set that is blended, balancing a strategic outlook with a passion for providing the best possible care and support for older people. To find out more, please download the recruitment pack here.
To apply, please email your CV and a covering letter to mandy.collins@brunelcare.org.uk by Monday, 12 April 2021.
Wales and Scotland
Wales
This week the Wales Cooperative Centre wrote about ‘Moving from inclusion to resilience – an agenda for digital inclusion in Wales’. Also, a reminder that the Welsh Government also has an important consultation out, highly relevant for Housing LIN Cymru members as follows:
- Improving social care arrangements and partnership working (deadline 6 April 2021)
And for Welsh government guidance on COVID-19, visit: https://gov.wales/coronavirus
Scotland
Housing Needs of Older People in Scotland – Panel Research
Age Scotland’s latest research on the housing needs of older people in Scotland has highlighted a need to increase the availability of accessible and adaptable homes so that people can live well and independently for as long as possible.
Drawing on focus group research funded by the Scottish Government, the report highlights the preference of older people to be able to live in a home with step-free access, that was over a single storey and had access to a garden. It also digs into how people’s experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their lives and housing decisions.
And for Scottish government guidance on COVID-19, go to https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/
Events
Our Spring HAPPI Hour series is now live
Have we got exciting news for you! Our Spring HAPPI Hour programme is now live and we have some excellent sessions coming up.
Next up on 15 April 2021 we are joined by the Bishop of Kensington who will chair a HAPPI Hour session on the Archbishops of Canterbury and York’s recent report, Coming Home: Tackling the housing crisis together. He will be joined by Professor Christine Whitehead and David Orr who were on report’s steering group and the vicar of St Brides in Trafford, a church part of the award-winning DH funded extra care housing scheme and community hub at Limelight.
And following the launch of the latest APPG Inquiry report on housing and dementia, we are holding 2 HAPPI Hour sessions on design, and adaptations and technology. These are taking place on 22 April 2021 and 20 May 2021 (as part of Dementia Awareness Week respectively). In between, we are holding a session with Winckworth Sherwood on 6 May 2021 on investing in ‘care ready’ homes and, to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week on 13 May 2021, our session puts the spotlight on housing and mental wellbeing.
Other events supported by the Housing LIN
- Housing and our health and wellbeing: Healthy ageing webinars (the Centre for Ageing Better, in collaboration with Public Health England) - Wednesday 31 March, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
In next week’s HLINks
Next week we are releasing two guest blogs with cohousing as their central theme. The first by TOWN and UK Cohousing Network’s Frances Wright outlines how cohousing developments can offer greater diversity, including offering a housing alternative for adults with a learning disability. The second is by Nottingham Cohousing’s Liz Thomas in which she advocates more affordable and sustainable community-led housing to combat climate change.
Lastly, watch out for the new report from the Wales Cooperative Centre about their latest research into the experience of community-led housing residents during COVID.
The Housing LIN would like to thank Willmott Dixon for their support in producing this newsletter.