CSPA Campaigning
Housing
Whatever your age, where you live matters. The UK is facing a housing crisis, with many struggling to get their foot on the first step of the housing ladder.
Those in later life are also facing housing problems, often linked inextricably to ageing.
It is time that we re-imagine the future for housing in later life.
Housing - the facts and figures
There is a chronic shortage of available, suitable housing in the UK for those in later life as housebuilding rates continue to fail to meet UK Government targets, with only 216,000 new homes supplied in 2020-21 against targets of 300,000. Meanwhile, specialist retirement housing accounts for just 2.6% of the UK’s housing stock, with a shortage of nearly half a million older people’s housing units. This means that many older people are in accommodation that is no longer suitable for their needs, which not only impacts their quality of life but also their friends, children and grandchildren, who cannot themselves access the family homes they need due to lack of supply.
ONE IN FIVE OLDER PEOPLE’S HOMES FAIL THE DECENT HOMES TEST
ONLY 7% OF HOMES HAVE THE FOUR ESSENTIAL FEATURES FOR ACCESSIBILITY
£1.4 BILLION IS THE ESTIMATED COST TO THE NHS OF POOR HOUSING
The manifesto: What we're campaigning for
We are calling for the Lifetime Homes Standard to be strengthened into a National Housing Strategy, to provide accessible and affordable homes that can adapt to the changing needs of later life throughout the whole of the UK.
The lifetime Homes Standard
The Lifetime Homes Standard was developed in 1991 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Habinteg Housing Association, identifying 16 design criteria intended to make homes adaptable at a minimum cost as their inhabitants’ needs and requirements change with ageing. The UK Government previously wanted to see all new homes built to the Standard. Since 2015, however, adaptability requirements have been optional for house builders.
Later Life Ambitions
Later Life Ambitions brings together the collective voices of over a quarter of a million pensioners through the National Federation of Occupational Pensioners, the Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance, and the National Association of Retired Police Officers Association.
We aim to encourage today’s decision makers to confront the challenges of tomorrow.
