HLINks archive

#Jeremytalks

Welcome to Jeremy talks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's free weekly bulletin, HLINks, week ending 21st August 2020.
 
In this week’s edition we bring you a selection of new Housing LIN resources. They include 2 new guest blogs. The first by LIFEstyle by ENGIE’s Paula Broadbent on Empowering our older generation by giving them energy to create their own future. The other by Honorary Professor at the University of Geneva, Roderick Lawrence entitled, Housing Matters for All, in which he sets out how to accommodate a growing diversity of activities, lifestyles and needs in our housing.

And a reminder: this week is your last chance to take part in our working from home survey. We have teamed up with the Workhome Project to take the pulse of home working in the UK's social housing. Whether working in social housing or a tenant, please share your experiences under Covid and complete online by 28th August.

In this week’s HLINks you can also read our curated round-up of other relevant news and events on later life living through the lens of homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, and planning matters.

Check this out and register here to keep in touch with our news alerts and other notifications of your choice, sent direct to your inbox. And remember you can also follow us via our Twitter feeds: @HousingLIN and @HousingLINews.

Lastly, if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted, share learning about your work and/or require our expert advice and guidance, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk.

You can also listen to Jeremy talks… here

Best wishes and stay connected and be safe,

Jeremy

#JeremyTalks ...

Welcome to Jeremy talks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's free weekly bulletin, HLINks, week ending the 14th August 2020.

In this week’s edition we bring you a selection of new Housing LIN resources. First up, following the publication of the government's refreshed Supported Living guidance last week, we have updated two of our Covid-19 Practice Briefings to give greater clarity on the latest guidance and how best to implement it. They are Practice Briefings No1 on specialist housing and No3 on housing and dementia.

We also bring you three diverse guest blogs we released this week, as follows: On the homelessness front, the founders of social capital investors - Drum-London -share their thoughts on the use of temporary accommodation during the pandemic and how to learn from this to develop a sustainable long term housing solution.

We also published a blog by Tetlow King Planning’s Managing Director giving his take on the government's recent Planning White Paper. John Sneddon shares his disappointment that the White Paper failed to recognise the housing needs of our ageing population.

With the 75th anniversary of VJ day tomorrow, our final blog is by Housing 21's Vanessa Pritchard-Wilkes in which she draws attention to the resources available from the Royal British Legion and the National Memorial Arboretum to commemorate the end of WW2.

In this week’s HLINks you can also read our curated round-up of other relevant news and events on later life living through the lens of homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, and planning matters. There is also a survey for you to take part in. We have teamed up with the Workhome Project to take the pulse of home working in the UK's social housing. Whether working in social housing or a tenant, please share your experiences under Covid and complete our survey by Friday, 28 August.

Check this out and register here to keep in touch with our news alerts and other notifications of your choice, sent direct to your inbox. And remember you can also follow us via our Twitter feeds: @HousingLIN and @HousingLINews.

Lastly, if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted, share learning about your work and/or require our expert advice and guidance, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk.

You can also listen to Jeremy talks… here

Best wishes, stay connected and be safe,

Jeremy

Jeremy talks….

Welcome to Jeremy talks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's free weekly bulletin, HLINks, week ending 7 August 2020.

Usually in August we have a news 'holiday' and there is a summer break from HLINks for the whole month. This year, with Covid-19 still impacting on our daily lives, we will be reporting throughout August and capturing relevant sector news. We recognise the importance of keeping you informed and the information is certainly unabated. It’s been another busy week!

On the national stage, the government published its long awaited Planning White Paper. The measures outlined are a green light for housebuilders to construct new housing within certain confines; namely, on sites designated for growth. Despite lobbying with other sector bodies for more favourable planning conditions for housing an ageing population, the paper did not propose anything specifically to boost planning for accessible homes for an ageing population, although they do invite suggestions on how best to meet the needs of diverse groups and to meet equalities legislation.

It also released its updated Covid-19 guidance on supported living. It builds on the previous advice to supported living providers and is primarily for supported living settings, but many of the principles are applicable to extra care housing for older people. It also references the resource on our Coronavirus Info Hub.

And staying with government announcements, the NHS' 2020/21 People Plan was issued this week. It focuses largely on workforce issues to support training and learning in our health and care services in a more integrated way, including the use of digital; for example, for remote assessments. However, while home based care is acknowledged, disappointingly, there is no mention of housing or multi-disciplinary working with our sector. So much for integration!

In other news, In other news, I was interviewed by BrouHappy on behalf of Ian Williams Ltd for an exciting new series of podcasts that delve into social housing. I shared my thoughts on affordable housing for older people, gave examples of designing for ageing and looked into my crystal ball on what the future of social housing could be, especially through the lens of housing for older and disabled adults.
 

We also put the spotlight on technology with the publication of the findings of our joint survey with Appello. The resulting paper is the first that will be coming out in the coming weeks. It makes interesting reading and evidences the rapid adoption of digital in our sector and commitment to transform services.

We also released two guest blogs. One on value of housing the homeless during the pandemic by Dr Rachel Manning at the Warwick Business School, and continuing our look at HAPPI balcony designs from last week's blog, the other is on the use of public and private space under lockdown, by architect, Stuart Carr.

In this week’s HLINks you can also read our curated round-up of other relevant news and events on later life living through the lens of homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, and planning matters. There is also a new survey for you to take part in, in partnership with the Workhome Project. This is seeking your feedback on working from home in social housing and how your organisation has responded in the light of Covid-19. Take part by Friday, 28 August 2020.

Check all of this out in our latest weekly bulletin on our website or register online to receive our alerts and other notifications of your choice sent direct to your inbox.

And remember, if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted, share learning about your work and/or require our expert advice and guidance, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk

You can also listen to Jeremy talks… here

Best wishes and stay connected and be safe,

Jeremy

Jeremy talks…

Two hard-hitting reports out this week reveal both the health and care system failures of the handling of Covid and tragic results of the thousands of deaths of older adults in care homes, and also the impact of Covid on the health and wellbeing of 50-70 year olds. The first by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee is highly critical of the initial decision to allow 25,000 untested elderly patients to be discharged from hospital into care homes and the years of neglect of the social care sector. It stated that this was an "appalling error". The second, a joint report by Ipsos Mori and the Centre for Ageing Better, captures the experience of lockdown among people in their 50s and 60s. Findings highlighted negative impacts such as on areas of mental & physical health as well as positive ones; for example, time with family, community involvement, time for reflection.

This week we also share two Covid retirement living-related guest blogs which, whilst highlighting different accounts of living in retirement housing, have a common bond in that they both address the way services have had to rapidly adjust in the light of the pandemic, turning the negatives into positives. The first, led by Hannah Humble at the University of Bristol, is on balconies and community space in extra care housing and how, with Coronavirus taking hold, they have utilised outdoor space to support community connectedness. The second, by Chris Barber, Central & Cecil Housing Trust's Resident Engagement Manager, showcases a variety of creative digital activities that have significantly helped their residents stay engaged, socially distanced but connected during lockdown.

In this week’s HLINks, you can also read our curated round-up of relevant news and events on later life living through the lens of homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, and planning matters. Check all of this out in our latest weekly bulletin on our website or register online to receive our alerts and other notifications of your choice sent direct to your inbox.

And remember, if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted, share learning about your work and/or require our expert advice and guidance, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk

You can also listen to Jeremy talks… here

Best wishes and stay connected and be safe,

Jeremy

Jeremy talks….

Welcome to Jeremy talks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's weekly bulletin, HLINks, week ending 24 July.

Back in April, as Coronavirus was taking hold, I wrote a blog about how for the majority our homes are ill-prepared for accommodating home working. I pointed out that it is not just about the design and use of our physical space for live/work, it's also about the social architecture and our relationship with the places where we live and work.

A few months on, working on the kitchen table to using a spare room as an office has become “the new norm” for many. Indeed, COVID-19 has been transformational in the way we have rapidly had to look at the design of our home and the use of indoor and even outdoor space for homeworking. It is also creating a rethink about the design and use of office accommodation too and the nature of work.

To better understand about this transformation, and to capture and share learning and thought-leadership, we have partnered with an international group of academic and non-academic organisations to establish the WorkHome Project. Take a look at the project’s Mission and accompanying blogs, podcasts and resources. You can also follow the Workhome Project on Twitter at: @workhomeproject

In this week’s HLINks you can also find out about the STOP Ageism campaign we have signed up to and read a round-up of relevant news and events on housing, health and social care matters. Check all of this out in our latest weekly bulletin on our website or register online to receive our alerts and other notifications of your choice sent direct to your inbox.

And, if you would like to talk with us about any matters highlighted and/or share learning about your work, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk.

You can also listen to Jeremy talks… here

Best wishes and stay safe,

Jeremy

Jeremy talks….

Welcome to Jeremy talks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's weekly bulletin, HLINks, week ending 17 July.

This week I was pleased to speak at two influential events: the first a webinar organised by ILC-UK, in partnership with the DICE Project and the LIN, on combatting loneliness in extra care called, ‘In it together: Making housing for older adults more inclusive’ and – the second, as a panellist on the APPG on Health and Housing’s virtual session on the impact of poor quality housing on health inequalities. I also presented virtually two HAPPI Awards at the 2020 Housing Design Awards. There were lots of strong contenders but the winning schemes were submitted by Quad Architects for Audley Stanbridge Earls (a project award) and PRP Architects for Grants Hill House (a completed scheme award). HAPPI days!

In other news, ahead of a promised Planning White Paper, we have also put our name to a letter along with leading retirement housing sector trade and professional bodies calling on the Secretary of State for Housing, Robert Jenrick MP, to review housing for older people as part of the forthcoming planning reforms to be announced.

And on the publications’ front, we feature three very different guest blogs that reflect the interests of our broad membership. They include one from James Bullion, the new President of ADASS on his key adult social care and housing asks of government, one by Becky Walker, Oxford City Council’s Home Improvement Agency Manager on their rapid discharge grant programme and, the last. by Suzanne Noble from Silver Sharers on lodging.

To read these, and a round-up of relevant news and events on housing, health and social care matters, check out our latest weekly bulletin on our website or register online to receive our alerts and other notifications of your choice sent direct to your inbox.

And, if you would like to talk with us about any matters highlighted and/or share learning about your work, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk

You can also listen to Jeremy talks… here

Best wishes and stay safe,

Jeremy

Jeremy talks….

Welcome to Jeremy talks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's bulletin HLINks week ending 10 July.

Last week, I mentioned the Prime Minister’s announcement to ‘build, build, build'. This week this has been replaced by the Chancellor’s call to ‘buy, buy, buy’. One of the take-aways, the cutting of Stamp Duty holiday on properties sold for up to £500,000 until 31 March 2021. While welcome, in a joint letter to the Chancellor last month, we partnered other leading retirement housing groups to urge him to consider a ‘help to move’ package to encourage ‘downsizing’, including removing Stamp Duty specifically for people selling their home to move into retirement housing and extra care. We hope for a move in this direction in future.

In this week's edition of HLINks, we bring you a brand new modelling report on extra care housing and design and cost considerations. The report is a useful resource for benchmarking costs for developing extra care housing including taking into account the impact of COVID on design, labour and materials and fire protection measures post-Grenfell.

We also feature three very different guest blogs that reflect the interests of our broad membership. The first is one by Damian Utton, a co-author of the new design and cost model in which he provides an overview of the report. Another is on the impact of Coronavirus on local communities and older people in Madrid, Spain, to coincide with Coproduction Week. And the final one is on a new homelessness and mental health service in Gloucestershire under lockdown for Rural Housing Week, which is also took place this week.

To read these and a round-up of relevant news and events on housing, health and social care matters, check out our latest weekly bulletin on our website or register online to receive our alerts and other notifications of your choice sent direct to your inbox.

And, if you would like to talk with us about any matters highlighted and/or share learning about your work, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk.

You can also listen to Jeremy talks… here

Best wishes and stay safe,

Jeremy

Jeremy talks….

Welcome to Jeremy talks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's bulletin HLINks week ending 3rd July.

As a founding member of the HoME coalition, we were proud to put our name to a letter written to the Housing Minister that any relaxation of planning regulations must not lead to fewer accessible homes for older & disabled people. As announced by the Prime Minister this week, the government wants to 'build, build, build' and has hinted at a relaxation of planning regulations in a forthcoming White Paper. The HoME coalition is specifically asking the UK government to raise the ‘accessible and adaptable’ design standard set out in volume 1 of the Building Regulations so that M4 Category 2 becomes the mandatory baseline for all new homes. This accords with our commitment to the HAPPI design principles as a basis to further raise the standard of accessible homes and improve the housing options for all. Talk to us to find out more about how we are working with councils, social housing providers and developers to plan and create better housing choices for our ageing population and how we can assist you.

In this week's edition of HLINks, we also feature two new guest blogs sent in by Housing LIN supporters as well as invite you to take part in an important new survey on our sectors' digital response to Covid-19. To read these and a round-up of relevant news and events on housing, health and social care matters, check out our latest weekly bulletin on our website or register online to receive our alerts and other notifications of your choice sent direct to your inbox.

And, if you would like to talk with us about any matters highlighted and/or share learning about your work, email Jeremy talks at: info@housinglin.org.uk

Listen to Jeremy talks… here

Best wishes and stay safe, Jeremy 

Jeremy talks…

I couldn’t resist sharing this message I received on Wednesday afternoon.....

“Great conference, thought it went really well. Strong content and seamless technology. We may have just seen the future of conferencing!”
Ed Warner, Motionspot

This week’s virtual conference, Recover / Reset / Regenerate, with Foundations and ADASS, was indeed a great success. With over 900 people registered to watch and listen over the day, we were treated to a feast of top speakers from housing, homelessness, health and adult social care, starting with a video message from Housing and Homeless Minister, Luke Hall MP.

A joint post-conference briefing capturing the key messages of lessons learned under COVID-19 and recommendations to government to rebuild is being prepared. However, what came across to me was the importance of listening to the voice of people with lived experience in order to tackle inequalities and improve the quality of our housing, care and support.

As James Bullion, the new President of ADASS set out in his address: we want greater housing rights to protect the most vulnerable and prevent homelessness; smarter choices to support people at home with access to appropriate care, technology, aids and adaptations; more supply of age-friendly HAPPI designed housing, including expanded provision of extra care housing; closer working across social care, health & housing as set out in the cross-sector MoU; and a funded housing approach to transforming care to achieve the housing support demands by people with complex needs. To this end, we are delighted to sign up to the NHF’s Homes at the Heart campaign calling for more investment in social housing, including where it delivers better health outcomes.

If you would like to talk with us about any matters highlighted and/or share learning about your work, email: info@housinglin.org.uk

And you can now also listen to Jeremy talks… here

This week was both Loneliness Awareness Week and Learning Disability Week 2020 both causes championed and supported by the Housing LIN. For both, we highlighted the range of resources available on our respective topic pages and showcased on social media some of the learning and improvement taken from our work. In addition, you will find below a selection of relevant news items in this week’s HLINks.

If you would like to talk with us about any matters highlighted by these weeks or share learning about your work, email: info@housinglin.org.uk