Home truths: Housing options and advice for people in later life: Learning from communities in Leeds

This report demonstrates the need for understanding the local context and speaking to local communities when developing information and advice services. More than 90% of older people live in mainstream housing and intend to stay there. Yet, Britain has the oldest housing stock in Europe. As well as being in poor condition, the vast majority of these homes are inaccessible, with only 7% of homes having all four features that make them accessible to most people. In June 2018, we undertook research in Leeds that would examine what kind of housing information and advice people want, as well as how and where they currently get their support and information from. We also undertook a mapping exercise of the information and advice that currently exists in the city in order to help them identify gaps and areas for improvement. This report summarises the findings from our work in Leeds and makes recommendations for what local areas and national government can do to enable people in later life better access to information and advice about housing. The research found that perceptions of housing in later life are based on imperfect information and assumptions about the options available and the choices we expect to have.