HLINks Weekly: Housing, Health and Social Care Latest News
HLINks Weekly: Housing, Health and Social Care Latest News
28 September 2026
This week we have moved our HAPPI Hour webinar to 4pm on Thursday for a special session to mark International Day of Older People. Co-chaired by Siobhan Casey, Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland, our panel brings together senior figures from all four nations to compare how each nation is shaping its housing and care offer for an ageing population.
And following her recent appearance on the BBC Breakfast sofa, we are also delighted to welcome Elaine Unegbu of the Age Friendly Manchester Older People's Board to the panel to talk about their success in getting older people's voices heard in local planning and development. Register your place now.
Also in this edition:
- Older People's Housing Taskforce leaders meet with the Homes England Board in Liverpool
- Levitt Bernstein architects scoop this year's HAPPI Award for their intergenerational scheme in Lewisham
- Jeremy Porteus joins SNG's co-hosted Tenants and Residents Innovation Day panel at Amazon HQ
- Welsh Government confirms £2.3 million for new housing with care projects in Caerphilly and Carmarthenshire
- The Almshouse Association marks its 80th anniversary with an evensong at Southwark Cathedral
- New Housing LIN guest blog for World Alzheimer's Day on West Yorkshire's dementia and housing training pilot
- Kris Peach blogs ahead of Thursday's webinar on the case for a long-term vision for older people's housing
And lots more that caught our interest!
Thank you for joining us each week and being part of our learning community
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Best wishes, The Housing LIN Team |
News Highlights
Homes England Board meets with sector leaders
Older People's Housing Taskforce leaders, including our CEO Jeremy Porteus, met with Homes England's Board in Liverpool this week to press the case for investment in specialist social housing and age-friendly placemaking.
The points landed well and agreement was made to maintain open dialogue with the agency as the government considers its response to the Taskforce’s report.
Melfield Gardens wins a national Housing Design Award
Congratulations to Levitt Bernstein architects who took home this year’s prestigious HAPPI design award for Phoenix Community Housing’s intergenerational scheme, Melfield Gardens, in Lewisham - presented last week at an award ceremony at Regent's University London by the Housing LIN’s CEO, Jeremy Porteus.
Click here to watch a video on the award-winning scheme, or revisit the Housing LIN case study on Melfield Gardens.
Housing LIN takes part in Tenants and Residents Innovation Day at Amazon HQ
Our CEO, Jeremy Porteus, was privileged to be a part of the Innovation Day Panel hosted by Amazon and organised by SNG, Switchee, and the Disruptive Innovators Network, exploring how AI and technology can benefit tenants and residents in social housing. Jeremy highlighted recent Age UK research findings that millions of older people are digitally excluded and/or have poor digital literacy in the UK.
Your First Home: A new first time buyer initiative
Over the weekend, the government announced it will be launching a new equity loan scheme in England. Your First Home will be confirmed at next month’s Budget, to support more prospective first-time buyers into homeownership.
The Almshouse Association celebrates its 80th anniversary
Last week The Almshouse Association marked their 80th anniversary with an evensong at Southwark Cathedral.
Our CEO, Jeremy Porteus, was honoured to be invited to attend and celebrate the upholding of the Association's founding values and centuries-old traditions.
£2.3 million boost for Welsh housing with care projects
The Welsh Government is providing more than £2.3 million through the Housing with Care Fund (HCF) to support new housing and care projects in Caerphilly and Carmarthenshire. Allocated through the HCF, the projects will deliver new social rented housing with care, such as extra care housing and supported living, so people can remain independent rather than moving into residential care before they need to.
Expert Insights
Dementia and Housing: What West Yorkshire’s Training Pilot Tells Us
Marking this year's World Alzheimer's Day, we were happy to present a new Housing LIN guest blog from Lecturer in Occupational Therapy Dr Aisling Flynn, who presents findings from her independent evaluation of a dementia and housing training pilot commissioned by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and West Yorkshire Housing Partnership, and delivered by the Alzheimer's Society.
Practice What You Preach: Why it's time for a long-term vision for older people's housing
Ahead of his appearance at this Thursday's International Day of Older People HAPPI Hour webinar, Kris Peach, Chief Operations Officer at Housing 21, shares this blog drawing on 16 years of experience in Retirement Living and Extra Care to argue that the benefits of specialist older people's housing are proven, and calls for a 10-20 year national vision to match decades of evidence with real action.
What else caught our interest...
- Abbeyfield blog: Abbeyfield presents housing solutions to Homes England
- Healthy places and communities report: Building healthy places - Design principles to help create healthy communities
- Housing Design Award: Discover the 2026 winners
- Inside Housing Development Awards news: Inside Housing Development Awards 2026 shortlist
- Inside Housing news: More than £2.3m allocated for new housing and care projects in Wales
- Landscape institute blog: Discovering the “Building for a Healthy Life” toolkit from Homes England
- Peter Apps substack: Generation rent growing old: ‘This is a window into the future for enormous numbers of people’
- Placeshapers story: Helping Older People Live Well, Stay Connected and Thrive - Learning from Housing 21
- Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) request: Patient and Public Involvement Network
Dates for your diary
HAPPI Hour webinars
- A HAPPI future: Designing age-friendly homes and communities for wellbeing on 22nd September 2026, from 4pm - 5pm
- A universal offer: International Day of Older People on 1st October 2026, from 4pm - 5pm
- Specialist Housing and the impact of Artificial Intelligence on 8th October 2026, from 4pm - 5pm
- Dementia Across the Four Nations - Showcasing Innovation, Best Practice and Housing Readiness Across the UK on 20th October 2026, from 4pm - 5:15pm
- SHAPE Challenge Fund Launch – the shape of things to come on 27th October 2026, from 4pm - 5:15pm
- From caring places to neighbourhood health – Inspiring a new vision for adult social care on 3rd November 2026, from 4pm - 5:15pm
- Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans and fire safety – taking responsibility in specialist/supported housing on 10th November 2026, from 4pm - 5pm
- Technology unplugged - Delivering digital solutions on 17th November 2026, from 4pm - 5:15pm
- Housing storeys - Planning for accessibility and adaptations on 1st December 2026, from 4pm - 5pm
- The key to unlocking healthy communities on 8th December 2026, from 4pm - 5pm
- HAPPI Awareness Week showcase event on 15th December 2026, from 4pm - 5:15pm
While free to attend for Housing LIN members, spaces are limited. Reserve your place today and join us for inspiring conversations, fresh insights and engaging ideas.
Other Events Supported by the Housing LIN
Global Intergenerational Congress
by Generations Working Together
29th September 2026 - 1st October 2026
Beyond Age: Rethinking Later Life
by Housing 21
14th October 2026, from 10am - 4pm
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