Our response to the Older People’s Housing Taskforce call for evidence

We’ve responded to the Older People’s Housing Taskforce’s call for evidence to understand the needs of older people’s housing now, and make recommendations on meeting demand in the future.

The need for new housing specifically tailored for older people is critical, and it is growing. With an ageing population, the demand for housing suited to the needs of older people will continue to grow over the next years and decades.

NHF members provide a variety of housing for older people, including purpose-built housing, housing with support and general needs housing. Housing associations currently own 262,222 supported homes for older people. They are also important providers of general needs and care homes – housing associations provide 14,348 care home places.

By 2035, the number of people over 60 in England is predicted to reach 29% of the population. The number of households headed by someone 65 and above is expected to treble by the late 2040s. This means demand will continue to rise for specific, adapted housing that meets the different needs of older people into the future.

Our response to the call for evidence gives recommendations on how to ensure supply meets demand for older people’s housing, and makes recommendations on each of the taskforce’s three focus areas:

• People – developing a range of options for housing for older people, taking into account people’s choices about where they want to live.
• Products – ensuring services are flexible, adaptable and sustainably funded to future-proof homes.
• Places – making sure older people can stay in their communities and building local capacity to co-produce developments with residents.