Collaborative housing is the new CHIC!

Launched today, the research project report explores the ways in which collaborative housing might help meet the changing care needs of older people. Funded by the National Institute of Health Research School for Social Care Research, the Collaborative Housing and Innovation in Care (CHIC) report brings to a close an exciting 30-month project involving research partners, the University of Bristol, LSE and the Housing LIN. 

Using a definition of collaborative housing as “communities where residents collectively have significant control over their homes, the services used and how they live together”, the team looked in depth at how six communities in England respond to the care needs of their members, whether by offering informal mutual support or jointly engaging formal care services.

The main findings are themed around:

• The value of community living
• Mutual care and support that can prevent more formal care
• The benefits of self-management
• Managing transitions as levels of needs increased
• Planning for the future care needs of the community
• Affordability, access and diversity
• Design for ageing and care

And with the Older People’s Housing Taskforce in mind, the report makes a number of important recommendations to government, local authorities, housing associations and community-led organisations. The call is to provide greater incentives for growth of such communities; from tailored investment opportunities and more identifiable planning requirements to better consumer access to information and advice and improved shared learning amongst professionals to ensure a better understanding of the preventative nature of collaborative housing.