How to transform housing for older people

COMMENT The latest housing minister, Lucy Frazer, has given a hint that the government may finally be about to appoint a new Older People’s Housing Task Force. What can that task force do and what will this mean for the sector? Ten years ago, I was the housing minister. The Montague report had provided a useful fiscal and regulatory framework, which I adopted, to create the build-to-rent sector. This meant I was able to establish a PRS Task Force, led by Andrew Stanford, which had a clear agenda. Before ministers set up a task force for older people’s housing, they must be clear about what they hope to achieve – in housing and planning policies, but also in health and social care. Adapt what we have The first challenge is that the number of older people is growing rapidly and by 2040 will reach 17m, roughly one-third of the population. Many more new homes need to be built which are suitable for this older generation.  Second, there is an immediate need to improve the existing housing stock and the provision of care in local communities, to help more people live independently for longer. Third, we need to think carefully about how we can help those people who want to downsize overcome the disincentives. This is a complex problem which needs a range of responses. Lastly, how can we use planning and other policies to better integrate the older generation into the wider community? Too often, housing and services for the elderly have become peripheral. So what actions might a task force focus on, and what does this mean for the property and construction sectors? First, much more of the existing housing stock could usefully be adapted. Alongside better energy efficiency for homes should be a drive to strengthen and expand local home improvement agencies and to treble investment through disabled facilities grants. Some homes won’t merit investment, but many others will and the benefits would be immediate. Second, the mismatch between demand and supply of homes for the elderly needs to be addressed. There has been some progress in the adoption of the Lifetime Homes Standard for new homes, but it is not universal across the country. This needs to change. Third, local plans should now specifically allocate land for senior housing to meet need across local planning areas. Some authorities resist this, worried they will attract more older people to the area, impacting on their health and social services. This is partly about finance and partly about misconceptions which need addressing. Within this, the task force will need to establish how best to encourage both general housing for seniors and housing with care. ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators) recently commissioned the insightful Mayhew report. Among other good ideas, it highlighted the benefits of integrated retirement communities which combine homes and care. There is much to be said for this, and the task force needs to weigh up how planning policies might best deliver the right blend, nationally and locally. Reviving high streets Lastly, there is an opportunity to put older people back into the heart of our communities. Failing town centres urgently need new uses and activities. Meanwhile, many sites for senior living or care homes are on the edge of towns and cities. There is an opportunity to change this by encouraging urban repurposing to incorporate senior living, including housing with care.  I have seen for myself that when senior living is brought into the middle of the community – near to the GP, local shops and other facilities – it benefits older residents and the community as a whole. Some of those smaller towns with dying high streets would be particularly suitable for such developments. This will also require local planning and health and social care authorities to work together and to input into the other’s forward planning and strategy. Housing, health and social care need an integrated approach for senior citizens, not the current silo thinking.  There is much to do, but an Older People’s Housing Task Force could, with the right steer from ministers, help to transform how we house and support everyone later in life. Mark Prisk is a former housing minister