Housing LIN Newsletter December 2011

Welcome to the December edition of Housing with Care Matters. We report on the Housing LIN's first annual conference and exhibition attended by over 300 delegates and the key issues highlighted by speakers and delegates. In particular, we focus on the publication of the independent evaluation of the DH's extra care housing fund and the new Housing LIN/ADASS Strategic Housing for Older People Resource Pack. These are essential reading for those of you in building the evidence base, planning, designing and delivering housing that older people want.

To accompany these publications, the Housing LIN has also launched an online directory of over 40 of the DH funded extra care housing schemes. This showcases the key characteristics of each development and provides a record of the DH's £227m investment.

We also bring you updates on other funding, policy, practice and research developments, new reports and resources. For example:

• The DH have announced adult social services allocations for 2012/13, including £127m for capital projects
• Further to the government's housing strategy, DCLG have published their report on Lifetime Neighbourhoods
• New findings on centenarians and appraisal on household income and equity
• Latest information design and accessibility, including on wheelchair housing design, designing for low vision and a summary of the HAPPI components
• New tools on health and wellbeing boards and developing JSNAs
• Update on the WSD programme, details of a smart technology project and signposting to the Telecare LIN newsletter, and
• Calls for information and new research.