Housing Crisis For Disabled People Set To Deepen

More than two-thirds of all new homes to be built in England over the next decade will not be fully accessible for disabled people, new research has found. Analysis by Habinteg Housing Association shows the proportion of new homes to be built by 2030 to accessible standards has fallen from 34.4% in 2019 to 31.5%. There are 14.1 million disabled people in the UK, as well as rapidly ageing population. Yet just 9% of English homes currently provide the most basic accessibility features. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-01-15/housing-crisis-for-disabled-people-set-to-deepen-report-finds

Why Industry Should Back Accessible Homes

The Home Builders Federation is discouraging councils from building inclusive housing. The Federation has advised at least 17 local authorities against setting mandatory targets for more accessible housing in new local planning policies, suggesting they could dent profits. It has also questioned whether predictions of an ageing population will mean there will be an increased demand for inclusive housing. This advice not only undermines planning aimed at mitigating the effects of profound demographic change that are expected to take over the next decade. It also denies the realities of today’s housing market. Only 7% of English homes achieve a basic level of accessibility. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/opinion/why-industry-should-back-accessible-homes/

Help to Buy Scheme – Parliamentary Written Answer

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve the accessibility of the Help to Buy scheme for lower-income citizens.

Kit Malthouse: Help to Buy: Equity Loan has helped almost 159,000 households buy a new-build home from its launch in spring 2013 until December 2017. The scheme enables prospective homeowners to buy a home with a deposit of 5 per cent. 81 per cent of sales have been to first-time buyers. The majority (59 per cent) of the households using the scheme have had household incomes of £50,000 or less. For people unable to afford to purchase a home fully, there is the option of shared ownership, by which they can purchase 25 per cent to 75 per cent of a home, with the option to buy further shares in their homes in minimum 10 per cent instalments, and in most circumstances, up to full ownership.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-07-23/167193

Housing Crisis Has 'Devastating' Impact On Disabled People, Warns Charity

A charity has highlighted the "devastating" impact that the housing crisis is having on disabled people in England, with some being forced to choose between struggling in an unsuitable property or racking up huge debts attempting to adapt it. Muscular Dystrophy UK, which compiled the report, said there is an alarming lack of accessible housing in many parts of the country. It found that some councils in England have more than 100 households waiting for wheelchair-accessible homes. The charity said that a lack of wheelchair-accessible housing is having a "devastating impact on households". Read more on the Express & Star website.

Thousands of Wheelchair Users Waiting For Social Housing

Almost 24,000 wheelchair users in the UK are waiting for social housing because of a ‘massive shortfall’ in accessible homes, a national charity has warned.  Aspire, which provides assistance to those paralysed by spinal cord injury, has published research showing just over 5,000 wheelchair accessible homes were built in 2013 - lower than any year since 2005. It found 14% of people with spinal cord injury are discharged to a permanent accessible property after completing their rehabilitation with the NHS. By matching freedom of information responses on wheelchair accessible properties to wheelchair users, it estimated it would take 6 years to meet current demand, without even taking into account new wheelchair users. Download a copy of the report from the Aspire website.