The APPG for Ageing and Older People is in the middle of an inquiry to understand the detrimental impact of poor housing on older people’s physical, mental and social well-being, and to find solutions that can be presented to Government. The first of five meetings was held on 21 November 2018 and the last meeting (to discuss the issues and problem identified in the previous sessions) will be held on 7 May 2019.
Along with ARCO, EAC, Anchor Hanover, The Almshouse Association, and the Chartered Institute of Housing, erosh was invited to present evidence at the third meeting on 11 February 2019. The purpose of this meeting was to review the reasons for the variations in the quality and conditions of supported housing for older people.
Presentations were structured round a number of key areas:
- Conditions in sheltered and supported housing and why they vary
- Reforms required
- The role of funding in shaping standards and availability
- Impact of poor standards of supported housing on vulnerable older people
We responded to these and concluded that the quality of sheltered and retirement housing and related support services does vary, mainly due to insufficient resources and funding. We remain convinced of the need for good quality sheltered and retirement housing and continued to be impressed by our members’ commitment to providing the best quality accommodation and services they can in spite of the challenges and constraints they face daily. There is no doubt that our members are struggling with reduced resources and increasing demand and we welcome the support of government in the form of increased funding to help maintain the quality of housing and support for older people, and to provide more of it.
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