HLINks Weekly: Housing, Health, and Social Care Latest News
HLINks Weekly: Housing, Health, and Social Care Latest News
23 February 2026
Before we dive in, we wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has signed up to attend tomorrow’s Housing LIN Annual Conference in Newcastle! Your enthusiasm and early registrations have been fantastic.
We’re looking forward to delivering an exciting programme with excellent speakers who will inspire fresh thinking on homes for health, independence and connection.
A big thank you to our sponsors, whose valued support makes hosting free events like this possible.
In the meantime, today's Housing LIN newsletter includes:
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Next year’s Disabled Facilities Grant budget will be £723m, building on recent additional funding.
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The HLIN Cymru Steering Group, chaired by Joanne Kirrane, set out an ambitious 2026 programme for housing and care in Wales.
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Housing LIN's CEO, Jeremy Porteus, reflects on a decade of progress since Wales’ housing agenda for an ageing population.
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Several housing and care schemes have been shortlisted for RIBA's regional architecture awards in London and the East of England.
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The 2026 Housing Design Awards close on 6 March, with winners announced later this year.
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Two of our conference speakers, Jon McDonald (Karbon Homes) and Nick Sinclair (Community Catalysts), have written guest blogs highlighting strengthened partnerships in extra care housing and how Local Area Coordination supports people facing housing instability.
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A range of sector stories and resources, spanning retirement living, community-led research, neighbourhood health, digital rights, planning, life expectancy and live consultations.
Thank you for being part of our shared learning journey and for continuing to shape the conversation with us.
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Best wishes, The Housing LIN Team |
News Highlights
Disabled Facilities Grant budget to increase to £723 million in 2026/27
The Government has advised that the Disabled Facilities Grant budget will be £723m for the next financial year. In addition to the one-off £50m announced last month for 2025/26, a further £12m has been allocated for next year.
HLIN Cymru Steering Group sets ambitious 2026 programme for housing with care in Wales
Chaired by Hedyn’s Joanne Kirrane, the Steering Group highlighted urgent housing and care pressures for older people in Wales and committed to shaping a strategy to engage emerging leaders.
Further insights, practice examples, and May’s HAPPI Hour webinar will follow.
Several schemes of interest shortlisted in RIBA regional awards
Congratulations in London go to Mae for their HAPPI-designed scheme in East Ham, Noele Gordon House, and to Satish Jassal Architects for Rowan Court, a residential and intergenerational development in Haringey.
In the East region, Haysom Ward Miller Architects have been shortlisted by RIBA East for More’s Meadow Almshouse in Great Shelford, also a Housing LIN case study.
The 2026 Housing Design Awards deadline approaches!
Submissions for the 78th Housing Design Awards close next Friday, 6th March, celebrating excellence in HAPPI, Healthy Homes, and sustainable design.
Schemes can enter as completed or planned. Winners will be showcased in September, following judging and site visits in spring 2026.
Expert Insights
A decade of indecision? Wales’ housing for an ageing population
Next February marks ten years since the Welsh Government’s Expert Panel, chaired by Professor Judith Phillips, published A Housing AGEnda, setting bold ambitions for older people’s housing in Wales.
Jeremy Porteus, CEO of Housing LIN, reflects on a decade of progress and missed opportunities in this new Housing LIN blog.
Working together to deliver extra care schemes
In this new Housing LIN guest blog, Jon McDonald, Head of Supported Housing at Karbon Homes, explores how the North East is responding to the growing pressures of an ageing population through strengthened partnerships and ambitious extra care developments.
We are delighted that Jon will also join us as a guest speaker at tomorrow's Housing LIN Conference in Newcastle.
Alongside people experiencing housing instability and homelessness: A reflection of four stories of Local Area Coordination
Written in advance of his presentation at the Housing LIN Conference 2026, Nick Sinclair, Programme Director of the Local Area Coordination Network at Community Catalysts, explores how relationship-based, community-centred support can transform the experiences of people facing housing instability and homelessness.
What else caught our interest...
- Age Action Alliance article: How can the retirement housing sector achieve its full potential? By adding life to our years.
- Age Platform EU news: Home is more than bricks, researchers tell the European Parliament
- Architectsdatafile podcast: Human-centred design turns strategy into supportive spaces
- BME National blog: "Amar Bari, Amar Jibon" (My Home, My Life): Community-Led Research Exposes Housing Inequalities in East London
- Centre for Mental Health resources: Embedding mental health in all housing policies
- Demos report: A Declaration on Digital Rights: Embedding human rights in a new deal for the digital age
- Estates Gazette article: Retirement living needs its own planning class
- Incisive Health report: Neighbourhood health in focus: insights from policy leaders
- LGA blog: Supporting Neighbourhood Health: Public Health at the Heart of Healthier Places
- Local Government Chronicle blog: Richard Webb: My seven asks of Louise Casey
- NDTi report: Research about community hubs
- ONS data: Healthy life expectancy, UK: between 2011 to 2013 and 2022 to 2024
- Southwark News item: 64 almshouses for over 55s are being built in Blackfrairs
- Trusted Assessing and Care Training (TACT): Have Your Say – Help Improve Trusted Assessor Services (survey closes on 15th April 2026)
- Welsh Senedd news item: Hazardous: when homes put health at risk
Dates for your diary
HAPPI Hour webinars
We look forward to sharing exciting updates about our Spring/Summer HAPPI Hour webinar series commencing in April 2026.
In the meantime, you can now access the full recordings, slides, chat reports and feedback for all previous sessions, featuring diverse speakers and topics from dementia-friendly design and AI to community-led housing, almshouses and diversity.
Events supported by the Housing LIN
- Appello webinar: Navigating the 2026 Telecare Bottleneck, 25 February 2026, 11am - 12pm
A2D Converters, PDPL, or Dispersed Alarms? Evaluating the Safest Interim Solutions to 2027
- TSA: International Technology Enabled Care Conference (ITEC), 16 – 17 March 2026
- TSA has offered up to 50 free Housing LIN two-day passes. Simply register your place here. When asked if you have been issued a booking code, please select YES. Then input the following code: ITEC2026/HousingLIN
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