Research into the changing housing needs and demands of older adults

1. Research into the changing housing needs and demands of older adults Chris Paris, Emeritus Professor of Housing Studies, University of Ulster Visiting Fellow, FIHURE, Flinders University Public presentation, Tuesday 20 October 2009 Radford Auditorium, Adelaide

2. Introduction • Seminar is about processes & initial results • Ongoing collaborative work • Working with Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) • NIHE: strategic housing agency with research functions • 3-year research programme on older people’s housing • Research aims to: • Provide a comprehensive assessment of current provision • Determine the adequacy of this provision • Identify new accommodation models/services • Assess overall policy implications

3. Context: housing provision & policy • UK housing system changed substantially since 1960s • High point of public housing intervention in the 1970s • Subsequent privatisation & deregulation • Home ownership well over 70% of households by 2007 • Northern Ireland: a distinctive regional setting • Contested constituent part of the UK: 30-years of ‘Troubles’ • Emerged from intense social conflict in the late 1990s • Late but very rapid growth in home ownership • Similarities/differences NI and South Australia • Sub-national jurisdictions but different constitutional bases • Similar population sizes & peripheral economic status • Both within affluent countries with ageing populations

4. Belfast looking south from Black Mountain: just another city Source: Google Earth

5. A ‘peace wall’ in west Belfast Source: Brendan Murtagh

6. Loyalist wall mural, Belfast Source: CAIN

7. Republican mural, Short Strand "Slan Abhaile” - “Safe Home" Source: CAIN

8. City of Derry (aka Londonderry): the Maiden city Source: Google Earth

9. Republican murals, Bogside, Derry Young petrol bomber with gas mask Civil rights protestors running from CS gas

10. Mural in the Fountain, Londonderry Source: Google Earth

11. Background to our NI research • Widespread concern about ageing population • Older people certain to be increasing % of population • What overall implications for housing provision & policy? • Specific concerns about older people’s housing needs • Growing body of evidence-based research (AP-funded) • HE contracted an initial scoping study • Extensive consultations with key players to define key issues • Older people not a homogeneous group • Increasing life expectancy & independence for longer • ‘Compression of morbity’: intense health care issues at older age • Disaggregated nature of service provision and hospital discharges • Housing needs changing: current needs may differ from future needs

12. The scoping study: housing issues • Help & support for independence in own home • What scope for provision of more electronic assistive technology? • Issues related to fear of crime and safety in the home • Ability to maintain home to decent standard • Suitability of accommodation • Issues of under-occupancy, especially in social housing • Suitability of sheltered housing & retirement villages • Isolation as a key issue, not just ‘rural’ areas • Issues relating to mobility & access to services • Financial issues associated with old age • Asset rich/income poor: equity release options • RTB in social housing sector • Move from owner occupation to supported social sector

13. Changing housing issues: HAs • Distinctive role of housing associations (HAs) in NI • Smaller & more specialised sector than GB • Strong focus on ‘sheltered housing’ • HAs had links with either ‘side’ in NI • Easy access to funding: • Crude HAG allocation for sheltered housing • Unrestricted asset disposal for new tenants

14. Changing housing issues: HAs • Changing role of HAs over last 10 years • Falling popularity of HA sheltered schemes (esp. 1-beds) • Switch to ‘mixed funding’ (end of 100% HAG) • Now only provider of new social housing • Common selection scheme for social housing: based on ‘need’ • High % allocations to homeless, sole parents, young & singles • Impact of Supporting People programme on funding • Funding allocation should reflect need providers preferences • Though ‘homeless due to unsuitable accommodation’ • High % of over-60s in HAs now reflects past not future • There was a higher % social overall & lower % OO pre-RTB • Now higher % of those entering old age are home owners • Housing assets but incomes < inflation despite growing maintenance costs & rates • Overall: changed context & policy agenda

15. 1990s sheltered housing, Belfast • 1990s sheltered housing, Belfast

16. 1990s rural HA sheltered housing Carn Court, Rosslea

17. Recent HA developments Sheltered housing: 1 and 2-bedrooms

18. Refurbished NIHE elders’ housing Priory Close, Lambeg Greenview Avenue, Antrim

19. HE research programme • Overall aim: full assessment of older persons’ housing needs • Component elements include housing & ‘supporting people’ • Dual focus, priorities & budgets: ‘landlord’ & ‘social work’ • Recurring source of debate and some tensions over • Grey area of ‘housing-related support’ • Distinctive procurement approach: selective tender process • My distinctive roles in advisory group • Preliminary in-house work on existing data • Changing age profiles of social housing tenants & applicants • New issue: ageing home owners not tenants • 3-year programme with inter-related strands • Mechanisms to help older people to remain in their homes • New provision of accommodation for older people

20. Enabling people to stay in their homes • Analysis of sources of information for older people • Research completed & available from NIHE website (E Beamish) • Scoping inventory then stakeholder consultation • Identified information gaps & requirements • Electronic assistive technology (EAT) • Identify current provision and explore options for developing further • Develop a web-based repository of material on EAT • Largely completed but not yet publicly available (S Martin) • Website design at advanced pre-release stage

21. Enabling people to stay in their homes • Data audit on information on homes with adaptations • Study under way (M Keenan & J Todd) • Aims to improve management of services, inform adaptations policy inc. H&S • Initial concern over extraordinary diversity of provision • Shifted focus to social sector ‘money trail’ • Assess feasibility of non-profit equity release scheme • Study recently started (F Boyle) • Having to take on board the changed context since credit crunch

22. New provision of accommodation • Study of need & demand for retirement villages in NI • Project finished and available from NIHE website (F Boyle) • Market research/scanning, scope policy issues • Scope existing provision, define characteristics • Explored literature inc. practice, agree working definitions • Visited providers in GB and Republic of Ireland • Current & future housing provision, demand & need • Project underway (CP & Housing Executive research unit) • Analysis of current accommodation of older people • Provide 10-year projection of numbers of households by type and likely accommodation requirements • Overview of good practice re. other forms of new provision • Literature review initially public & private sectors • Scope for learning from private sector (previous studies just looked at social housing needs)

23. New provision of accommodation • Study ofdementia-related accommodation • Detailed analysis of specific project (E Beamish) • High intensity with facilities for family • Project underway (CP & Housing Executive research unit) • Review of supported housing provision • Review and analysis of range of current supported housing arrangements (North Harbour) • Comparison with current developments in supporting people policy in GB

24. Conclusions & issues • Ongoing work designed to finish this year • Responding to central funding & policy initiatives • Distinctive procurement approach • Projects so far completed within budget and largely on time • Research context radically affected by the GFC • Regarding equity & perceptions of risk • Especially retirement villages & equity release • Programme considered successful overall: to be extended • Tensions between ‘housing’ & ‘supporting people’ • Overview of programme and reports at: • www.nihe.gov.uk/strategic_research_july__08.pdf • www.nihe.gov.uk/housing_research_bulletin_autumn_2008.pdf • NI-SA comparisons • We can learn from you rather than vice versa • Especially regarding asset-based housing options in older age • Crucial significance of context for policy development & transfer