Blogs

Roderick Lawrence, Honorary Professor, Geneva School of Social Sciences outlines his thoughts on more effective action that provides housing conditions for all types of households that nurtures and support knowledge sharing so that the different experiences and needs of residents are combined with the professional knowledge and know-how of practitioners in the sector.

This blog updates some of Jeremy Porteus' thinking captured in his April blog. Drawing on the last 6 months under lockdown, it provides an outline of how ten years since the original HAPPI report, the 10 ‘care ready’ HAPPI design principles can be recalibrated to incorporate ‘work ready’ adjustments to accommodate a growing number of people of all ages, but especially in later life, who want or will be working from home or may require live in care and support, such as personal assistant, now or in future, to meet their changing work patterns and lifestyles.

Coastline’s Director of Housing, Assets and Communities and Housing LIN SW Leadership Set member, Louise Beard, highlights how they have kept in touch with their residents during the pandemic and describes their Click and Connect service - a space for people to share interests, have conversations, and celebrate strengths and resilience at a time of such great isolation and uncertainty.

In this blog, Jeremy discusses our new series of free, hour+ long HAPPI Hours starting this week. These will draw on our learning and improvement activities and share with you, policy and funding developments, latest research findings and innovative practice, and thought-leadership.

Hot on the heels of the new Channel 4 Friday night series, Lodgers for Codgers, this new guest blog for the Housing LIN by Silver Sharers co-founder, Suzanne Noble, sets out the idiosyncrasies of sharing a home and how can one better predict compatibility to create harmonious households.

A couple in their early 70s share in their Housing LIN guest blog their reasons for moving and how they want to live life in later life in an attractive town centre setting and not follow in the footsteps of either of their parents.

Habinteg Housing support worker, Laura Gregg, gives a personal account of supporting vulnerable adults who are shielding in the North East of England during Covid-19. She highlights how many of her clients are digitally excluded and how this has acerbated their health and wellbeing under lockdown, especially experiencing increased loneliness and isolation.

Paula Broadbent, Retirement Solutions Director at LIFEstyle by ENGIE articulates her thoughts on “To empower people, is to engage with them”. It describes how, as a company, ENGIE are ensuring that they understand what people aspire to in later life and the challenges they face, especially with the pandemic.

Housing 21’s Vanessa Pritchard-Wilkes shares how they will be remembering VJ day after joining forces with Royal British Legion and the National Memorial Arboretum to help disseminate activity packs and a quiz which they have developed.

In this guest blog John Sneddon, Tetlow King Planning’s Managing Director, outlines what the White Paper covers and what to respond on, and also shares his disappointment that the White Paper failed to recognise the housing needs of our ageing population.

COVID-19 has marked a step change in thinking across different disciplines and contexts, and the pandemic has prompted many of us to consider those more vulnerable than ourselves. This holds particularly true for the homelessness crisis and the government’s response via the Next Steps Accommodation Programme. In this blog, Theodora Beckett and Will Polisano from Drum point out the need to now ensure a sustainable solution for move on into permanent housing.

Stuart Carr of architects Inglis & Carr, anticipates that Covid19 will drive housebuilding changes of various kinds. He suggests that it may turn out to be the impetus which modular construction needs to get it over the tipping point and also, ensure a rethink of health and safety measures in how use private and public space in retirement living for both ensuring wellness and enabling social distancing to take place.

Dr Rachel Manning, Research Fellow, at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, considers the value of housing the homeless against the backdrop of Covid-19 and health inequalities. It suggests that, while the pandemic certainly halted many support services, it also generated unprecedented responses, especially for rough sleepers who were accommodated in a manner never before imaginable.

Central & Cecil's Residents Engagement Manager, Chris Barber, showcases a variety of inspiring creative digital activities that have significantly helped their older residents stay engaged, socially distanced but connected during the pandemic.

Hannah Rumble et al, highlight that during lockdown the balcony has become ‘the new front door’. Drawing on lessons of a project with the ExtraCare Charitable Trust and Cruse Bereavement Care, it describes how balconies have emerged as being key safe, social distancing, yet communal, spaces in extra care settings during lockdown.