New research out on just how bad the lack of accessible housing has become and what’s needed to improve the situation.
This is just another subject very close to my heart as a Disabled person myself the need to have a home that accessible and suitable for my needs being in a wheelchair is hugely important, the difference in having an unsuitable home to an accessible home Is down to the quality of life you will lead.
I’m lucky enough to have a home Provide by Habinteg that’s my forever home it’s made a huge difference in my life where I’m able to have my independence but with the population ages and rates of disability on the increase less than a quarter of homes built outside of London by 2030 will be suitable for older and disabled people.
Habinteg association specialise in accessible housing who are the ones that carried out a nationwide analysis of the 322 local English planning policies for what types of homes are to be built by 2030 and in its new insight report ‘A Forecast for Accessible Homes’.
With 13.9million disabled people in the UK plus a rapidly ageing population, only 7% of English homes currently provide even the most basic accessibility features, this is insane and needs to change fast!
The new research also stated only 23% of new homes outside of London are planned to be accessible and just 1% of homes outside London are set to be suitable for wheelchair users, with the NHS estimates there are 1.2million wheelchair users in the UK.
I wrote about the housing crisis back in may 2018 stating even then this crisis wasn’t new after fighting for years to get an accessible home this was 10 years ago. It’s become a post code lotto which Habinteg highlights that the supply of new accessible and adaptable homes, that in the West Midlands there will only be one accessible new home built for every 270 people by 2030. when In the East of England there will be one accessible new home for every 52 people then in London, there will be one for every 24 people.
We’re already living in a strained public services with costs growing every year on the public sector. Habinteg are calling for the government to change national policy so that all new homes are built to be more accessible and adaptable, if the housing crisis for disabled people isn’t urgently tackled it worries me what will happen. will it mean ending up in a nursing home no matter what age you are or staying with family not having that independence of living in their own home, to be able to build a relationship or have a family of their own.
Here’s hoping that this new report forecast for accessible homes: Accessible Housing in local plans shocks the government to make the changes needed,
Kerry x
Kerry Thompson - My Life, Kerry's Way. 
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