HLINks - Are you missing out on the Housing LIN weekly update?
Welcome to our must-read weekly bulletin, HLINks, week-ending Friday, 2 April 2021.
This week, we joined a coalition of organisations and signed up to ARCO’s letter to the Prime Minister calling on a cross-government effort to expand the supply of housing and care options in the UK.
The Housing LIN has also released two guest blogs focussing on cohousing. The first by Town and UK Cohousing Network’s Frances Wright outlines how cohousing developments can offer greater diversity, including offering a housing alternative for adults with a learning disability. The second is by Nottingham Cohousing’s Liz Thomas in which she advocates more affordable and sustainable community-led housing to combat climate change.
In this week’s HLINks, you can take a tour of other news and events on later life housing and independent living with regard to homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, planning matters and more. In particular, we draw attention to the new Greater Manchester Tripartite Agreement, bringing housing, health and social care together; and a report from the APPG on Loneliness Inquiry, ‘A connected recovery’.
We are also delighted to be a founder of the Workhome Project which has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2021 Davidson Prize, ‘Home/Work – a New Future’. And, on the research front, the Housing LIN is to be part of the IMPACT consortium, led by the University of Birmingham, to develop a brand new Centre for adult social care, which will aim to put evidence into practice to promote and maintain people’s independence and wellbeing.
Check all the latest news and register here to keep in touch with all our alerts and other notifications of your choice, sent direct to your inbox. And remember you can also follow us via our Twitter feeds: @HousingLIN, @HousingLINews and @HLINConsult
Finally, if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted in this week’s issue, share learning about your work and/or discuss how you can engage our highly regarded consultancy services to assist you, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk
Stay connected and, above all, with lockdown beginning to ease, stay safe.
Jeremy
Housing LIN news item
Open letter to the Prime Minister: Older people in the UK are living longer – but not healthier for longer
We are pleased to join a wide ranging coalition of organisations, representing older people’s representatives, policymakers, private sector and civil society leaders, to sign up to ARCO’s letter to the Prime Minister calling on a cross-government effort to expand the supply of housing and care options in the UK.
The letter makes specific reference to establishing a Task Force and states that this would be a profoundly positive statement of the Government’s intent to improve choices for our ageing population.
New Housing LIN Resources
Cohousing plus: Widening the housing choices for people with a learning disability
This guest blog for the Housing LIN by Town and UK Cohousing Network director, Frances Wright, considers how cohousing could become a realistic solution for a greater diversity of communities, including for adults with learning disabilities or autism. It draws on her background in social care and also picking up on some expressions of interest to develop wider housing choices to transform care and support for people with a learning disability.
Living an alternative lifestyle - the new normal
This guest blog for the Housing LIN by Nottingham Cohousing director, Liz Thomas, calls for our future housing stock to be built more affordable and most of all sustainable, taking into account climate and protection from changing weather systems and powered by alternative technology. She advocates that local authorities need the vision and co-operation to work with their communities to find housing solutions that lead to resilient diverse communities that become the guardians of their homes and their environment.
Coronavirus Update
With the Prime Minister’s announcement this week of the 4 steps to unlock the current national lockdown, check out our Coronavirus Info Hub for the latest government guidance, a range of Housing LIN practice briefings for the sector and links to other useful information and websites.
We have also identified the following items as useful read:
Do also post any or reply to questions on our discussion forum. It allows you to share information, raise issues and ask questions to solve a tricky issue. For example, can you share your organisation’s COVID-19 risk plan or information about how you are engaging with residents remotely?
Housing, Community, Disability, and Ageing
A connected recovery: Findings of the APPG on Loneliness Inquiry
The APPG on Loneliness has launched its first independent inquiry report making the case for a ‘connected recovery’. Housing is a core component and it found that poorly designed or unsuitable housing and neighbourhoods can make it hard for people to meet each other, maintain social connections and develop a sense of belonging.
The report makes 15 recommendations and calls on the government to commit to a “Connected Recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic, recognising the need for long-term work to rebuild social connections following periods of isolation and the importance of connection to resilience to future shocks.
Dunhill Medical Trust call for proposals pre-announcement:
Building and delivering suitable living environments and communities for an ageing population
As reported last week, back in November 2020, Dunhill Medical Trust published their priorities for the next five years in a new strategic framework, including supporting a smaller number of larger community programmes, focusing in particular on those which create age-friendly living environments, connect older people to the wider community and enable them to stay in their own homes for longer. More info to be released mid-April.
Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit Survey
And remember, to help the government with understanding the barriers that disabled people face and what it may need to focus upon to improve the lives of disabled people, the Cabinet Office in preparing a National Strategy are seeking the views people with disabilities to know more about their experiences.
If you are a disabled person, a carer or parent or as someone who has an interest in disability issues, please complete the online survey by 23 April 2021 if you would like to inform the development of the strategy. The survey is also available in other formats.
Other news and blogs
- Manchester Evening News: Plans emerge for 'first of a kind' purpose-built LGBT+ housing scheme in Manchester
Design, Construction, Planning and Technology
Homeworking futures revealed as rising stars vie for inaugural Davidson Prize
The Alan Davidson Foundation has announced an 18-strong list of finalists for its inaugural architecture prize focusing on the future of the home. The Housing LIN is thrilled to be a partner in the Two-Door City shortlisted bid, with The Workhome Project. We look forward to next month's announcement of the winning entry. Fingers crossed!
New professional hub launched to support independent living
DLF ProAssist, created by The DLF in partnership with TSA, is groundbreaking new hub aimed at making it easier for health, care and housing professionals to prescribe equipment that enables vulnerable people to live independently.
Professionals can use the hub to access a secure, reliable, independent and comprehensive resource where products are accompanied by clinical observations, case studies, user guides, videos and information on local suppliers.
It is free to use for a promotional period to allow prescribers to see the benefits of the hub to their practice.
Appello publishes new guide to cloud solutions in Technology Enabled Care
Appello, a leading provider of digital Technology Enabled Care (TEC) solutions for local authorities and housing providers, has published a new guide to the role of cloud solutions in TEC.
The guide, ‘Go further with cloud’ sets out how, by hosting applications such as the monitoring centre in the cloud, and managing the data drawn from field technology in the cloud, the capabilities and possibilities for TEC expand exponentially. It gives eight practical considerations for embracing cloud in a monitoring environment.
Appello are also hosting a webinar for Local Authorities and Housing Providers on 12th May at 1.30pm. To book the webinar or download the guide ‘Go Further With Cloud’, click on the link below.
Other news and blogs
- Workhome Project podcast: Design for home based work
- Take part in this South West Academic Health Science Network survey: How do you monitor your health at home?
- TCPA guide: The 20 Minute Neighbourhood
Health and Social Care, Mental Health and Learning Disability
Manchester Tripartite agreement
This Tripartite Agreement is a collaboration between Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Housing Providers and Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership.
It sets out their vision and plans to work alongside local people and neighbourhoods to deliver positive change across the Greater Manchester economy.
Its overriding focus is to embed the role of housing in joined up action on improving health.
The Housing LIN to be part of leading brand new Centre to implement evidence in adult social care
The Housing LIN will be partnering with the University of Birmingham, funded by the ESRC and the Health Foundation, as part of a broader consortium of key stakeholders from across the four nations of the UK, to develop a brand new Centre for adult social care, which will aim to put evidence into practice to promote and maintain people’s independence and wellbeing. We look forward to adding housing ingredients to the social care recipe.
Bereavement by suicide in later life Invitation to participate in research
Are you a social care professional, service provider, commissioner, policy maker or someone professionally involved in working with older adults? Are you working in services that support bereavement and/or suicide prevention?
The University of Strathclyde and the Mental Health Foundation are looking for input into learning more about how to identify and support people in later life bereaved by suicide.
Are you able to take part in an interview or focus group with others on Zoom, to share your thoughts, knowledge and professional experiences? If so, get in touch with Jeffrey Hanna from the University’s research team on jeffrey.hanna@strath.ac.uk
Approaches to Commissioning Bereavement Services
This briefing by the charity, Independent Age, follows a Freedom of Information request to local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups asking them their approaches to commissioning services and their knowledge of the current demand and availability of services in their area. In the first lockdown alone, they estimate that up to 98,000 older people were bereaved of a partner. And, with people experiencing traumatic bereavements and even more experiencing grief in the midst of restrictions on social contact, they suggest the reality is many more people may need to access bereavement support over the years to come.
Other news and blogs
- NAO report: The adult social care market in England
- Care Management Matters article: Building public support: #socialcarefuture
- Conversations in Social Care video: In conversation with Vic Raynor, CEO National Care Forum
- LGA article: Martin Routledge, Social Care Future
Housing and Dementia
APPG Inquiry report on housing and dementia
Did you miss this last month? Watch and listen again to the launch of the new APPG Inquiry report on housing and dementia here and be inspired by Wendy Mitchell as she shares her personal story about living with dementia.
Wales and Scotland
Wales
For Welsh government guidance on COVID-19, visit: https://gov.wales/coronavirus
Scotland
We are pleased that Housing LIN will be holding its first Scottish HAPPI Hour on Thursday, 27 May 2021. Check out our events page in the coming days for more details and bookings.
In other news, we reference:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation report: Laying the foundations for a Scotland without poverty
- Inclusion Scotland Manifesto: Rights and Renewal – Inclusion Scotland’s manifesto for the 2021-2026 Scottish Parliament
And for Scottish government guidance on COVID-19, go to https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/
Events
Our Spring HAPPI Hour series is now live
Have we got exciting news for you! Our Spring HAPPI Hour programme is now live and we have some excellent sessions coming up.
Next up on 15 April 2021 we are joined by the Bishop of Kensington who will chair a HAPPI Hour session on the Archbishops of Canterbury and York’s recent report, Coming Home: Tackling the housing crisis together. He will be joined by Professor Christine Whitehead and David Orr who were on report’s steering group and the vicar of St Brides in Trafford, a church part of the award-winning DH funded extra care housing scheme and community hub at Limelight.
And following the launch of the latest APPG Inquiry report on housing and dementia, we are holding 2 HAPPI Hour sessions on design, and adaptations and technology. These are taking place on 22 April 2021 and 20 May 2021 (as part of Dementia Awareness Week respectively). Register on our events page for further details.
In between, we are holding a session with Winckworth Sherwood on 6 May 2021 on investing in ‘care ready’ homes and, to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week on 13 May 2021, our session puts the spotlight on housing and mental wellbeing.
And remember you can access slides and watch recordings of previous HAPPI Hour sessions in the Archived Events section of our website:
In next week’s HLINks
Next week we are releasing a new Housing LIN Case Study on Chimes, a new HAPPI-influenced retirement living development in Westminster, London. And watch out for the new branding on our website to mark the Housing LIN’s 10th anniversary independent of government.
The Housing LIN would like to thank Willmott Dixon for their support in producing this newsletter.