Finding the tonic to house an ageing LGBT+ community

We all know that our homes are not just bricks and mortar but places where we want to feel safe, secure and connected, writes Anna Kear. This becomes even more important in later life, when we no longer have social connections through work and getting out to meet people can become difficult as a result of ill health, limited income and fear. If we have no family support, we can quickly become isolated and research shows that loneliness is as damaging to our health as smoking. The UK has more than 1m people over 50 who are LGBT+: 810,000 are over state pension age, with the largest population living in London (roughly 145,000). Older LGBT+ people are more likely than heterosexuals to be single and to live alone – and less likely to have children and a family support network. HouseProud found that only 43% of LGBT+ social housing residents felt a sense of belonging to their local area, compared with 82% of all social housing residents. Some 26% said they were always or mostly lonely where they lived. Six out of 10 trans residents said their neighbourhood wasn’t a safe place for them to live. Housing with Pride [caption id="attachment_987572" align="alignright" width="300"] Anna Kear[/caption] Working to improve this is the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence’s “Housing with Pride” project, which I am honoured to chair. The stark reality that the health and social care costs of the retirement population will increase by more than 40% within 20 years has encouraged a sharper policy focus on a wellbeing approach to ageing. The UK’s property sector is still slow in responding to this issue, with only 0.6% of over-65s living in retirement communities, compared with 6.1% in the US, despite the evidence of the wellbeing benefits that they offer. A one-size-fits-all approach to ageing won’t deliver positive wellbeing outcomes if we fail to understand the mutually supportive social connections in communities of interest alongside local communities. The 2019 State of Ageing report highlights that being connected to others is fundamental to a happy later life. It says: “We must create places that enable people to feel they belong to their communities to remain active and connected to others. This will become more important as older generations become more diverse and traditional family structures become less common.” While there are successful and well-established LGBT+ retirement communities in the US and Europe, there is no specific provision in the UK. Tonic is changing this by creating vibrant and inclusive urban LGBT+ affirming retirement communities where people can share common experiences, find mutual support and enjoy their later life. Back in the closet? We have heard too many heart-rending stories from people ageing in hetero/cisnormative society who have felt compelled to “go back into the closet” or “de-transition” to have their housing and care support needs met. We want to provide services that safely meet these needs and celebrate older LGBT+ lives. This is what drove our founders to set up Tonic and it’s what drives me every day. Tonic was established in 2014 and has gained much support, but it has yet to secure a development site in a location where our communities feel safe. My ask of you is not only to be aware of these issues but to find out how you can use your skills to support LGBT+ communities, particularly the older generation. Most LGBT+ community organisations are reliant on grant funding and are seriously under-resourced. We could achieve so much more with your professional input, through either individual volunteering or collectively via your employee networks to offer pro bono expertise or even secondments. Together we can improve the lives of many of those who made Pride Month possible. Main image © Shutterstock Anna Kear is chief executive of Tonic Living