Transcript Slide 1
Research into the changing
housing needs and demands of
older adults
Chris Paris, Emeritus Professor of Housing Studies,
University of Ulster
Visiting Fellow, FIHURE, Flinders University
Presentation to Aged & Community Services SA & NT
Housing Service Providers
Wednesday 28 October 2009
Introduction
Talk is about processes & initial results
Ongoing work with Northern Ireland Housing
Executive (NIHE)
Research aims
Comprehensive assessment of current provision
Determine the adequacy of this provision
Identify new accommodation models/services
Assess overall policy implications
Context: housing provision & policy
UK housing system changed substantially since 1960s
High point of public housing intervention in the 1970s
Subsequent privatisation & market deregulation
Changing roles of councils and housing associations
Northern Ireland: a distinctive regional setting
Contested constituent part of the UK: 30-years of ‘Troubles’
Distinctive arrangements for public & social housing
Similarities/differences NI and South Australia
Sub-national jurisdictions but different constitutional bases
Similar population sizes & peripheral economic status
Both within affluent countries with ageing populations
Belfast looking south from Black Mountain: just another city
Source: Google Earth
A ‘peace wall’ in west Belfast
Source: Brendan Murtagh
Loyalist wall mural, Belfast
Source: CAIN
Republican mural, Short Strand
"Slan Abhaile” - “Safe Home"
Source: CAIN
City of Derry (aka Londonderry): the Maiden city
Source: Google Earth
Republican murals in ‘Derry’
Young petrol bomber with gas mask
Civil rights protestors & CS gas
Mural in ‘Londonderry’
Source: Google Earth
Background to our NI research
Widespread concern about ageing population
Older people certain to be increasing % of population
What overall implications for housing provision & policy?
HE contracted an initial scoping study
Extensive consultations with key players to define key issues
Housing needs & circumstances are changing
Key issues:
Help & support for independence in own home
Suitability of accommodation
Isolation: may be worse in urban than rural areas
Financial issues associated with old age
Changing housing associations
HAs had very distinctive history in NI
Sheltered housing, high % tenants 60+, easy 100% capital grants
Many changes from mid 1990s
NIHE construction ended: HAs only providers of new social
End of 100% grants: move to ‘mixed funding’ for construction
Funding for ‘supporting people’ based on certified need
Common selection scheme for social housing: based on need
High % allocations to homeless, sole parents, young & singles
Falling popularity of HA sheltered schemes (esp. 1-beds)
Much higher % of those now entering old age are home owners
Much less attracted to social housing options
1990s sheltered housing, Belfast
1990s sheltered
housing, Belfast
1990s rural HA sheltered housing
Carn Court, Rosslea
Recent HA developments
Sheltered housing: 1 and 2-bedrooms
Refurbished NIHE elders’ housing
Greenview Avenue, Antrim
Priory Close, Lambeg
HE research programme
Overall aim: full assessment of older persons’ housing
needs
Component elements include housing & ‘supporting people’
Preliminary in-house work on existing data
Dual focus, priorities & budgets: ‘landlord’ & ‘social work’
Grey area of ‘housing-related support’
Changing age profiles of social housing tenants & applicants
New issue: ageing home owners not tenants
3-year programme with inter-related strands
New provision of accommodation for older people
Mechanisms to help older people to remain in their homes
New provision: retirement villages?
Study of need & demand for retirement villages in NI
Market research with scoping of existing provision & policy issues
Visited providers in GB and Republic of Ireland
Key findings: general
Older people’s needs related to their housing careers
Importance of cohort effects: next generation of older people = home owners
Current range of provision does not meet all needs
Key findings: retirement villages
Many definitions/meanings of ‘retirement villages’
Currently none in NI & little knowledge about them
Home owners knew a bit more (though weak evidence for this)
Cross-sectoral issues regarding possible new developments
Funding, land acquisition & costs, size, affordability, accessibility, planning & community impacts
Policy issues in the report:
Need for cross-sectoral examination of opportunities to develop an RV
My question: who should/could develop our first RV? Existing HAs or other charitable agency,
or government agency?
Other research on new provision
Review of housing provision, demand & need
Analysis of current accommodation of older people
Projection of household numbers by type & likely
accommodation requirements
Overview of good practice re. other forms of new provision
Study of dementia-related accommodation
Detailed analysis of specific project with facilities for family
Review of current supported housing provision
Comparison with current developments in GB
Helping people stay in their homes:
study of information needs
Scoping inventory & stakeholder consultation to identify gaps & needs
Key findings
Older people have some some distinctive information needs
Limited life expectancy & high prevalence of illness add urgency to needs
Older people identified specific information needs
Finance-related rights and entitlements,
Housing-related issues: maintenance, adaptations, bills & refuse/recycling
Social: safety, isolation, local amenities, getting their shopping home
Personal and medical-related: accessing carers and support for carers
Policy implications
Need inter-agency collaboration to reduce duplication & ensure timely provision
Include awareness of issues involving stigma, needs to contact isolated
vulnerable people & ensure minority group access
Policy initiatives
Linking this study to EAT project with simple web-based information
NIHE working with other agencies to improve & consolidate information & advice
Other work staying in their homes
Electronic assistive technology (EAT)
Identify current provision and explore options for future
developments
Data audit on information on homes with
adaptations
Aims to improve management of services, inform adaptations
policy including health & safety
Assess feasibility of non-profit equity release
scheme
New study responding to changed context since credit crunch
Conclusions & issues
Ongoing work designed to finish this year (but will be extended)
Research context affected by the GFC
Regarding equity levels & perceptions of risk
Affect attitudes to retirement villages & equity release
Tensions between ‘housing’ & ‘supporting people’
Overview of programme and reports at:
www.nihe.gov.uk/strategic_research_july__08.pdf
NI-SA comparisons
We can learn from you especially regarding asset-based options
Crucial significance of context for policy development & transfer