In recognition of the International Day of Older Persons, LGBT Foundation have today released a new report Housing, Ageing, and Care: What Manchester LGBT residents want from the UK’s first purpose built LGBT Extra Care scheme.

Extra care housing is specialist housing designed for older people. It is similar to sheltered housing but also offers help with personal care and household chores.

To ensure that the voices of the communities were at the centre of the planning for the scheme, LGBT Foundation launched a survey asking people about their current finances, their housing situation, their care needs and their thoughts on what an LGBT Extra Care Scheme would look like.

It revealed a stark picture in terms of income levels and people’s ability to plan and pay for future care, showing:

• 62% had less than £10,000 saved, including 28% who have no savings.
• 66% had a pension value of less than £20,000 per year
• 43% didn’t know where they would get care and support in the future
• 74% didn’t know how they would pay for future care and support.

There was also a positive response to the provision of the new LGBT extra care scheme in Manchester, and significant support for housing and social care options that was reflective of, and responsive to people’s LGBT identities:

• 50% said that if they moved into an LGBT Extra Care Scheme they would prefer if it was delivered by an LGBT-specific provider
• 74% were interested in moving into an LGBT Extra Care Scheme in the future
• 51% would not be comfortable in retirement housing without specific LGBT considerations

Bob Green, Housing Consultant working with LGBT Foundation on the LGBT extra care scheme said:

“For decades, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities in the UK have looked enviously at other countries, such as Australia, Germany, Sweden and the USA, where LGBT-specific housing projects existed for older people.

The generations who fought for our LGBT rights in decades past may find themselves isolated and fearful of the future, dreaming of a housing scheme where they could live out the rest of their lives with others from their family of choice, where they did not have to hide their identity for fear homophobia, biphobia or transphobia.

This report reveals the different experiences within LGBT communities and what LGBT people want from the Extra Care Scheme and other services in the city.It also reveals the overwhelming delight that the dream of LGBT-affirmative extra care housing may be soon a reality.”

To find out more information about our report, or to be kept up to date with LGBT Foundation’s work in this area, email [email protected]

The full report can be downloaded here.