A total of 25 sites around England have been earmarked for new housing developments to provide more than 2,000 flats for old and vulnerable people, it has been announced.
The government has allocated £80m of funding for “extra care” housing schemes aimed at enabling the elderly and those with dementia and long-term conditions to live in their own homes.
The locations were revealed by health and care Minister Ivan Lewis as he and Sir Michael Parkinson presented one of the selected sites, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, with a cheque for £3.8m.
The Department of Health said people who are unable to continue to live in their own homes have traditionally had their choices limited to care homes, creating a number of problems including couples finding they can no longer live together.
Extra care housing gives tenants a home that they can rent or buy on a leasehold basis where a range of care and support services are provided on site.
The idea behind the plan is that residents can enjoy greater privacy, dignity and independence in the properties, couples can stay together with social and leisure opportunities more easily accessible, and homeowners can have the chance to keep some of the equity in their property.
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