The importance of social architecture in housing with care settings More resilient communities Ian Hanton - Development & Commissioning Manager

Priory View, Dunstable

All Saints View, Houghton Regis

Flitwick 55 + Downsizer housing New Flitwick Leisure Centre Extra Care Shared facilities Care Home

What have we learned? Good ability to create high quality landmark extra care schemes Focused on design & construction of the built environment at the expense of developing the social infrastructure Often an after thought following handover of a building A needs led framework Focused on fixing problems and deficits, fuels demand Schemes work well for the majority but not everyone More vulnerable populations less likely to benefit Develop a community framework to change the focus ‘What’s strong, not what’s wrong’ be really clear why, what, who for and how

What’s strong, not what’s wrong Targeting funds to needs directs funding to services, not communities We might want to change this To build social capital To build the ‘agency’ of community What makes us strong, healthy, more able to cope in times of stress and makes this a good place to be? Find out what’s already working well and do more of it Cherish the assets – as soon as people are talking to each other, they are working on the solutions Social connectivity as a community asset & key determinant of resilience Flitwick 55+ Community development workstream Deficits v. strengths See Loneliness handout Social Capital – building face to face community networks, civic participation, citizen power; high levels = +ve health outcomes/ well-being, resilience – even the most marginalized communities have social, cultural and material assets Agency – disinvested in community – easy to cut & destroy the habitat A mobilized and empowered community will not necessarily choose to act on the same issues that SC&H see as priorities Asset approach is not community engagement Connectivity – ASC National surveys –Consistently, 60% of people report lack of social contact as the most important issue for them yet we focus on a task based approach to need - no prevention here

What makes people healthy & happy Social contact – doing things together 60% of adult social care users report a lack of social contact yet our focus remains task based To be heard, feel acknowledged Achieve your full potential To be meaningful to others To be part of something Less about programmes – what does it say for someone is to be the focus of a dedicated loneliness programme?

The ‘system’ over medicalizes health and well-being despite many of the issues being social in origin and solution Healthy behaviours – includes the range and qulaoty of relationships/ associations that sustain well-being; strong epidemiological evidence for health benefits of clubs and societies inc. for CHD. Contrast this with what we spend on being healthy and it seems clear the shift required to unlock health and well-being Shift the focus from being treated as a demnentia sufferer to helping people live well with; dementia as just one feature of a complex life

Social Architecture/ Infrastructure Includes Voluntary organisations and community groups that operate in new (and existing) communities Communities of interest, place and culture that exist in and across localities The volunteers and volunteering opportunities that exist within communities The networks of people and organisations that provide contacts, links and association with one another Opportunities for social action and community engagement Social interaction between people, neighbours and communities Capacity building activity to support new community groups The recruitment, development and support of community leaders Opportunities for social inclusion, lifelong learning and community development. Social infrastructure – see handout The fabric of a functional community including the norms and values essential to inclusion

Paradigm shift Communities need initial investment in community development to mobilise networks Recognise that it takes time to build confidence JSNA to JS Assets Assessment Assess local potential and how to grow capacity Different leadership model Less command and control, more a social architect; orchestrator of place Community building Starts with identification of community assets – people as producers of development Build informal associations, networks, relationships, knowledge, social power Local people are experts in their own lives & where they live Part of creating a shared future Participatory appraisal – a research method that ensures local people have a voice, increased skills, knowledge; building trust and confidence Community Asset Mapping Focus on behavior change/ relationships, not pump-priming unsustainable projects that don’t create long-term change Does not ignore needs: emphasis on psycho-social aspects of life

Shift to Community Capacity Building Don’t look for leaders, find the connectors, invite to a party, not a meeting! Establish a vision and identify what we’re prepared to do what help we need and what needs to be done for us – to builds inter-dependence Move from our agenda to an emphasis on contact/ connections/ relationships Move away from delivery to discovery (needs analysis is a strait jacket) Deepen curiosity of what’s strong, not what’s wrong Systems tend to engage people for their own needs but fail to engage and connect people in developing their own solutions Better lives, not necessarily about better services Flitwic – Commuity Development Workstream inc. dedicated space at design brief stage of development Social Prescribing – connecting in an authentic way (i.e. not a referral) for a more associational life

Where’s the transformation opportunity? Community Led Co-production Charity Medical To For By With Perhaps mention if there is time To (medical); For (charity – the helper and the helped); With (co-design led by professionals, harvesting the assets of community – a form of colonialism purely for the benefit of the public sector); By (led by residents/ citizens) By is where the Transformation opportunity is – shift the money here; courage to move into the ‘by’ space – inc. space for people to make decisions we don’t agree with – requires courage to step into this space

Social Architecture Builds Resilience Services don’t produce outcomes, people do People as assets, not needs – a big cultural shift Schemes as anchors – outward looking Asset based approaches are not free – invest in community capacity building Social solutions for social problems Aim for a better balance between service delivery and community building Social architecture is at least as important as the physical architecture