Purpose-built housing for older people must be priority

The British Property Federation has revealed the scale of new housing-with-care units required across England and Wales to keep up with future demand.

In partnership with Cushman & Wakefield, the BPF’s new report identifies an acute lack of housing-with-care – purpose-built, self-contained homes that have the capacity to provide care, yet allow residents to continue living independently – for older people in the UK.

There are only 74,000 housing-with-care units in the UK today. This small number of units is only 0.9 per cent of older households, which is significantly lower than in the US, Australia and New Zealand, with the report claiming that the UK falls considerably short of the international benchmark of approximately six per cent.

There are currently around 11 million people aged over 65 years in England and Wales, and by 2029 there will be 2.1 million more, highlighting the growing disparity between supply and demand. To achieve the same provision of housing-with-care as the US, Australia and New Zealand by 2029, 45,000 new housing-with-care units must be built each year across England and Wales.

The BPF says that there are other housing models that cater for older people and should be delivered as part of a holistic national strategy – including care homes and housing-with-support. However, housing-with-care is currently only 16 per cent of total stock of housing for older people, and around eight per cent of local authorities in England and Wales do not have a single housing-with-care scheme, emphasising the urgent need for fit-for-purpose housing for older people.

The report says that the government should establish a Housing for Older People Taskforce and develop and publish a national strategy for Housing for Older People.

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the BPF said: “Government must make purpose-built housing for older people a national priority. It is critical that the country’s housing sector delivers new, purpose-built homes to serve older people’s aspirations, many of whom will continue to live productive and independent lives, but may wish to have certainty that their future care needs will be provided for.

“The current lack of housing-with-care is acute. Our ageing population needs more fit-for-purpose, affordable, high-quality housing and this will have positive implications for issues as far reaching as social care, isolation and integration, generational inequality, and employment and skills.”