The idea of accessible housing goes back decades – yet the UK is struggling with a housing crisis in which those with disabilities are the most disadvantaged. Earlier this year, the Government announced a new Equalities Hub which will focus on tackling injustices in the workplace and at home. Part of the hub’s work is to ensure a higher standard of living for disabled people.
Victoria Galligan spoke to Habinteg housing association’s Chief Executive Sheron Carter about the history of accessible housing in the UK, the latest standards in housebuilding and how to get help if you feel trapped in your home…
Habinteg is a housing association with a difference – its properties are all built using an accessible design model which means people with disabilities can get around easily, and residents are housed within mixed housing so they are not isolated from the rest of society but integrated within it.
Sheron explains: “Habinteg was set up in 1970 and it has an interesting history. Back then, if a person had a disability they would likely live in a care facility.”
Leading figures from the world of disability were interested in alternative forms of accommodation for people with disabilities.
Sheron adds: “They visited Sweden to look at integrated housing – a model called Fokus had been developed there and it was very forward-thinking, with a cluster of around 15 houses or apartments, of which some had been built specifically for disabled people.”
This type of independent housing, situated among communities rather than separate to them, was revolutionary at the time but now seems like simple common sense – why would someone with a disability want to live outside the community and be marginalised from their friends and family?
Sheron added: “When they came back they approached Scope [which back then was the Spastics Society] and said: ‘We need to do something to change things here for disabled people’. This is how Habinteg was born – the word is a combination of the Latin habitus integrans, or ‘integrated housing’.”
The first innovative scheme was developed in Tottenham and Habinteg’s aim since then has been to go wherever it is needed most – the housing association now offers nearly 3,300 homes nationwide and works with 86 local authorities.
Building accessible homes as standard
The aims of Habinteg are two-fold: to not only build and manage accessible homes but to encourage the housebuilding industry to create homes which meet accessibility standards from the off – even if the intended residents are not disabled.
More homes are needed – but one housing association alone cannot offer the number of accessible homes which the UK needs. However, by working together with Government, housebuilders and disability organisations the hope at Habinteg is that the standards of accessible housing will be adopted on a wider scale. This will help people to stay in their own homes longer, should they become disabled or as they age and become less mobile.
Sheron says: “Our organisation can show how it is possible to design, build and manage accessible and adaptable buildings. But we also promote integration and integrated housing among other organisations. Our homes are in England and Wales – from Middlesborough in the North, to Wales, Cornwall, the Midlands and all along the South-West Corridor.”
The model on which Habinteg homes were built in the 70s has changed over the years but the ethos remains the same – to create integrated, accessible and adaptable housing which will meet the needs of everyone in society.
And the building standards of accessible housing have also changed – The 2015 optional accessible, adaptable dwelling standard (Building Regulations, Volume 1, M4, Category 2 standard) has already been adopted as a mandatory baseline for new builds in London – meaning all new homes in the capital are now built to this standard. The wheelchair standard (Building Regulations, Volume 1, M4, Category 3 standard) is more detailed and split into two parts a) Wheelchair adaptable (providing space and layout features, but not fully fitted out), and b) Wheelchair accessible (ready and fitted to accommodate wheelchair-user household).
The future of accessible housing
Habinteg’s research on housing, “A forecast for accessible homes”, predicts that less than a quarter of homes built outside London by 2030 will be suitable for older and disabled people.
That means that those looking for an accessible home will be tied to certain areas – resulting in people with disabilities becoming “trapped”. This does not only mean trapped in the literal sense of not being able to get in and out of a home which is not suitable for disabled living, but also trapped once a resident has found an accessible home.
Sheron says: “People experience real joy when they are allocated an accessible home. But further down the line, if they ever want to move, it’s so difficult to find an alternative in a different part of the country that they become trapped in that accessible home.”
The need for more accessible and adaptable homes is clear – they are not currently readily available. With an ageing population, the need for people to stay in their own homes for longer and be able to live near their place of work or their family means the UK is heading for an accessible housing crisis. It is not acceptable for families to be placed on seemingly endless waiting lists until a suitable property becomes available. Thankfully, Habinteg and other housing organisations, together with disability rights groups, are pushing the Government in the right direction to create accessible homes.
How to access information on accessible housing
So what should you do if your home is not suitable for your needs, or you want to move to an accessible property in a different area? Sheron recommends that you contact your local authority in the first instance, saying: “This is a good starting point, and your LA can access the housing register for you.”
An occupation therapist (OT) will also be able to help. Sheron says: “OTs are invaluable – they work with the housing provider to find out your specific needs.”
Aids and adaptation budgets are set by the local authority, so you could qualify for help in your own home. Local disability advice centres are also there to help you find suitable housing – Scope’s helpline on 0808 800 3333 can advise you on getting more help.
With more accessible homes on the horizon and organisations such as Habinteg fighting the corner for disabled people, let’s hope everyone can soon have access to suitable housing –without the waiting lists.
Geoff and Petula Bone – living in our Habinteg home is ‘a miracle’
Petula Bone, a keen gardener who has moved into Habinteg’s latest scheme in Rawcliffe Grove, Hull, is now able to use her green fingers for the first time in ten years thanks to her brand new wheelchair-accessible home. Steps at her previous home meant Mrs Bone, a wheelchair user, could not get to her garden. Her new home, which she shares with her husband, is a wheelchair accessible bungalow fit for her mobility needs.
As well as level access to the garden, the home features storage space for her wheelchair, wider doorways so she can move around with ease and a bathroom and kitchen specifically designed with a wheelchair user’s needs in mind. Her home is one of three new properties developed by Habinteg in partnership with Hull City Council that are suitable for the needs of disabled people.
Petula, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis over 30 years ago, said her condition made her “terrified” to walk around her previous home, as she’s had several falls, with one so serious that she broke her ankle and needed carers in her home for four months. But now thanks to her new specially-designed property, Mrs Bone can now travel more freely through her home.
Mrs Bone says: “I found it to be an absolute miracle that anything like this would happen to us. My new property is more suitable for me as it’s one level and there are no stairs to go up. I can also access my garden easily as the doors are wide enough for my wheelchair to go through.
“In my previous house, as there were stairs leading into my garden, I hadn’t been able to access it for years. Now, not only will I have no anxiety travelling around my house, but I can undertake basic tasks like watering the plants in my garden and cooking a meal for my husband. I can finally feel normal again.”
