Fixing homes that are cold, dangerous or in poor repair
The last 12 months have been busy for London Rebuilding Society (LRS). We are working to secure practical, effective referral and delivery partnerships nationwide. We are engaging at a policy level where HIS resonates most:
- Enabling older homeowners to live as long as they wish independently, in decent, warm, safe, energy efficient homes with affordable costs;
- Integrating good housing to enable better and more cost effective health and care services.
“Fixing homes that are cold, dangerous or in poor repair should enable older people to stay in their homes for longer, and avoid homes becoming a potential cause of ill-health.”
JRF report, Feb 2018
There has historically been a reluctance to accept that housing is a key factor in healthy lives and savings in health and care. Now, and in particular for the elderly, this is universally recognised. The statistics are profoundly significant:
£10bn spent now to improve all of the 3.5 million ‘poor’ homes in England, would save the NHS £1.4 billion in first year treatment costs alone… It is estimated that such an investment would pay for itself in just over seven years and then continue to accrue benefits into the future.
BRE report, Cost of Poor Housing 2015
Exhibiting, presenting and attending more than 30 conferences and events, LRS is illustrating the Home Improvement Scheme and its importance within the toolkits of Integrated Care Systems partnerships.
Campaigning on social media, LRS is successfully raising awareness of its own work, and more importantly the plight of the invisible poor, older homeowners, as well as NHS costs resulting from bad housing.
The Society has made many new connections:
- Where there are real concerns about supporting older homeowners living in poor conditions, including Lincoln, Norfolk, Brighton and Hove, Oxfordshire, and Nottingham;
- Talking to major charities – Macmillan in supporting people living with cancer at home, and The Red Cross with its hospital to homes work;
- Connecting with key civil servants working on the Green Paper on Adult Social Care resulted in their recognition of the LRS Home Improvement Scheme as an example of best practice, and a proposed digest for the Green Paper.
The Society is working with clients in London, Brighton, Devon, Lincoln, and these nascent partnerships coming together this is just the beginning.
One size cannot fit all so we tailor our Home Improvement Scheme to suit homeowners’ needs, and tailor our partnerships to meet the needs of the local area.
We will always do what we do best, inspire people to take the steps to a better life, and we’re here by their side to help them make that change for the better.