Housing Group‘More than Bricks and

Mortar’Preston, 30th April 2014

Housing Group:

Co Chair Terry SullivanCo Chair Wendy Cocks

Housing Policy and Context

Joe OldmanAge UK

Table Discussion:•Introduce yourselves and your local area•What are the housing issues for older people in your area?Please record these on the purple paperCan each table feed back one shared issue

‘Location, Location, Location’Housing options – my experience

Wirral Older People’s Parliament

Bringing it back together

Housing Options Advice in Wigan

Angela Durkin Wigan Borough Council

John McArdle Age UK Wigan Borough

Table Activity:

Who would you ask if you needed housing advice?

What support is available to older people in your area?

Information & Advice about later life housing & care

Where do we go from here?

Sue Adams, CEO, Care & Repair England

Info & Advice: CurrentOfficial Government Gov.uk – taken over nearly all other sources of

info

Councils’ Legal Obligations:Housing Authority – obliged to offer housing

advice (issue of interpretation eg homelessness)Social Services – focus is on Assessment of

Needs but even if ineligible for publicly arranged social care, should give information about alternative sources of support and advice

Info & Advice: CurrentVoluntary Sector – National/ Older people

specificAgeUKElderly Accommodation Counsel &FirstStopIndependent Age

Voluntary Sector – National/ Issue specificWhere to start!

General - CABHealth / medical conditions (Alzheimers, RNIB,

RNID, MD, Arthritis etc etc etc…….)Money/ debt/ retirement housing/ homelessness

Info & Advice: CurrentVoluntary Sector – local

Specialist (subjects/ older people eg CAB, AgeUK, (some Care & Repair)Generalist neighbourhood & Community

GroupsSpecial interest groups eg. Health

Other not for profit (paid for)Consumers Association

Info & Advice: CurrentCommercialFinancial advisersLegal Major contractors

eg. Capita, A4E etc

Let alone – online sources……….

Trying to bring it togetherEAC FirstStop – independent, impartial

information and advice specifically about housing, care and related finance

Backed by Dept for Comm. & Local Government

Aims to compliment - national information, tel advice line and local partners offering in depth service, including Wigan

Working with AgeUK, Foundations and Indep Age

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New legal Duty: Care BillCare Bill – LA obliged to provide information

about:

Care & support services availableHow to access these How to obtain independent financial advice

Statutory Guidance may promote integration, possibly including housing

Which way will your LA go?Opportunity ThreatCould have visionary,

fully integrated information and advice housing, care & finance information & advice service

Bottom line minimalist signposting/ list of providers

Doing it for ourselves?Silverlinks

‘Pass it on’ housing & care options workshops

Thinking and planning ahead events

‘Peer to Peer’ information, advice and support

Looking forward together

Support a positive, active ageing vision and ethos to underpin provision

Share information & evidence to build the economic case for I&A

It is all our futures…..