Living well in an accessible home

Our homes have become the most important thing to many of us during lockdown. For most of us, our home is our sanctuary, where we feel safe and protected. However, for many disabled people this is simply not the case. According to our latest estimate, there are 400,000 disabled people in England living in homes that are neither accessible nor adapted. This creates barriers to living well, with people’s independence suffering as a result.

Habinteg develops and promotes accessible homes so older and disabled people can live healthy lives in homes that enable their independence. As well as the benefits an accessible home has on disabled people themselves, the wider community and economy benefits too. Accessible and adaptable homes help alleviate pressures on health and social care services and budgets. There is also a link to work opportunities: people with an unmet need for accessible housing are four times more likely to be unemployed than those whose needs are met (Habinteg: The Hidden Housing Market, 2016).

For many disabled people, the months in lockdown highlighted just how important accessibility within the home is. The move to home working has been a great leveller for many disabled people as it has opened up access through increased online activity in a way the built environment has not.

This pandemic has shifted the way we all use our homes. It therefore seems particularly short-sighted for the government to relax planning rules at this time. The Planning for the Future White Paper fails to acknowledge that a home that functions well needs to be accessible. I am not talking about wheelchair accessible homes though there is a clear need for more to be built. But the basic accessible design features that make homes more accessible for all. Future homes should be attractive, sustainable and with good space standards. It does not take much more to make them accessible too.

Habinteg campaigns for more effective planning rules and building regulations to ensure we see an increase in the supply of accessible and adaptable homes. Last year we launched the Housing Made for Everyone (HoME) coalition alongside Centre for Ageing Better. It is simply not acceptable that by 2030, there will be just one new accessible home built for every 15 people over the age of 65. The HoME coalition recently sent an open letter to Housing Minister Chris Pincher MP, calling on the government to take urgent action to address this.

If we want to see homes at the heart of living well then homes should be designed to be accessible for us all.