The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has secured £43.5m of funding to help develop much-needed specialised housing for older and disabled people in London.
Good quality, specialised housing for older people and disabled adults plays a critical role in helping them to live as independently as possible, and enables carers and the wider health and social care system to offer support more effectively.
The funding is being provided through the Government’s Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) programme, which is administered in London by City Hall to develop homes for older Londoners with care needs and adults with physical and learning disabilities, autism and mental health care needs.
It is available for developers building a variety of specialised housing including:
- assisted living
- dementia care
- retirement housing
- supported housing for disabled adults and people with mental health problems
- wheelchair-adapted homes
- housing specifically designed for people with learning disabilities and autism
The units funded by the programme are expected to be lifetime homes, which are well-designed, high-quality and have the flexibility to adapt to meet clients care and mobility needs as they might progress or change.
The programme has so far funded schemes totalling £112m, with 1,657 homes started and 830 completed in London. There is a good pipeline of schemes which are due to come forward for assessment and possible allocation in this financial year.
Schemes have included:
- Charlie Ratchford in Camden, which received £3,800,000 in 2019 to deliver 38 extra-care units for older Londoners who require care and support. This scheme, which was completed in November 2020, has a mix of one and two bedroom units, all of which are provided at Affordable Rent.
- Reardon Court in Enfield, where the Mayor recently agreed an allocation of £10.5 million. Reardon Court is the site of a former Council-owned residential care home. The London Borough of Enfield will redevelop the site to provide 70 modern, flexible and accessible Extra Care homes, with fully accessible communal space. Work is due to start on site by March 2022. This is the highest number of units delivered on one single scheme under the CASSH programme.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am delighted to have secured £43.5m to continue the wonderful work that the this programme delivers in the capital. All Londoners deserve a safe, secure home with enough space to live comfortably. This funding will help deliver a new generation of genuinely affordable
specialised housing in London, where older adults and people with disabilities can live independently, but with good access to care and support, for the rest of their lives.
“Today’s funding is good news but I know we can still go further, faster, by working with ministers, councils and providers to deliver more of this specialised housing that many Londoners so desperately need to lead comfortable and independent lives.”
Cllr Nesil Caliskan, Leader of Enfield Council, said: “We are proud that our 3,500 council house building programme includes homes for everyone and to be working with the GLA to deliver homes for a range of needs.
“The extra-care scheme at Reardon Court will provide 100 per cent affordable and adapted accommodation for people with enduring health needs. This type of housing offers choice and appropriate accommodation to residents who may no longer be able to live independently and improves social isolation often felt by older people.”
The programme is currently open for bidding and providers are encouraged to get in touch by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The current round of funding is for schemes which can start on site by March 2022. Photo by Photo by DAVID HOLT, Wikimedia commons.