1. ARE HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS READY FOR AN AGEING POPULATION?
Eastern Region Housing LIN Meeting
Bury St Edmunds
10 December 2014

2. 1. About the Project

3. About the Project Commissioned by Genesis from the Smith Institute
Specific focus:
Housing associations (as opposed to housing generally)
Medium term horizon corresponding to business and asset planning
Commenting both on sector practice and government policy
Research and survey fieldwork over the summer
Round table September
Report launch January

4. 2.What we Know

5. Population Trends

6. Generation Holiday to Generation Oasis

7. Ability

8. Employment

9. Social Housing residents and the general population: age

10. Social Housing residents and the general population: household type

11. Social Housing residents and the general population: economic activity

12. Summary
Over-65 social housing residents in 2034 significantly more likely to enter retirement:
Single, and therefore both less resilient economically and more vulnerable to social isolation
Workless, for a varying proportion of their working age years, again with implications for their economic resilience and for social isolation
With a history of significantly lower incomes than the general population
Without access to the internet

13. Older People: What they Want and What they Get
Most live in non-specialist housing (though 40% of social housing residents in specialist)
Development of specialist housing in decline (current HCA plans 0.5% annual increase vs 3% annual growth in older population)
Aspiration for smaller properties much stronger than for specialist
Perceptions of specialist: too small, “God’s Waiting Room”, provider language (“supported”, “assisted”)

14. 3.Survey

15. Survey: Headline Findings
30 responses, range of sizes, 10-30% older residents
Good awareness, but not necessarily grasping scale of challenge
Priorities relating to older residents tend to be short term/operational rather than strategic/preventive
Nearly half of respondents have no plans for development for older people
Heavy reliance on LA funding and concern about future scale
Lack of confidence in strength of partner relationships, especially health

16. 4.Conclusions and Recommendations

17. For the Sector
Understanding customers (quantitative data and what they think)
Understanding investment needs
Developing service offer
To build or not to build? And what?

18. For Government
Promote Joint Endeavour between health, care and housing – specifically fold current HCA investment into Better Care Fund and refresh of 2008 National Strategy
Increased investment (as part of investment needed in social housing generally)
Planning: emphasis, status, CIL