In 1970, Habinteg was founded by a group of people with a shared desire to create accessible homes and communities where disabled and non-disabled people can live together as neighbours.
Over the last 50 years we've worked hard to demonstrate the value of accessible housing.
Today, our mission remains the same. We champion inclusion by providing and promoting accessible homes and neighbourhoods that welcome and include everyone, using our expert knowledge to inspire and influence decision makers.
Our 50th event
In 2020, we were proud to mark 50 years as a leader in accessible housing with an interactive online event, which included invited sector & celebrity guests, and a message from the Housing Minister, the Rt. Hon Christopher Pincher MP.
We celebrated this half-century milestone by urging the public to respond to the Government’s open consultation on raising accessibility standards for new homes.
The event was the perfect platform to highlight the importance of the consultation for disabled and older people and celebrate the work the housing association and the sector has done to improve accessibility.
The online gathering also brought together tenants, parliamentarians and disabled campaigners. They included event host Lord Jamie Borwick, Baroness Celia Thomas of Winchester, and winner of the 2018 Britain’s Got Talent TV show, comedian Lee Ridley AKA Lost Voice Guy.
Habinteg 2020 Prize essay
As well as the online event, we launched an essay competition to consider what the next 50 years of accessible and inclusive homes and neighbourhoods might be like. This was won by architect Kathryn Thomas,
The competition was open to academic and non-academic entrants, including disabled people and students, who were asked to submit essays that considered what the next 50 years might bring in the realm of accessibility.
The prize competition was sponsored by the Borwick Charitable Trust whose chair, Lord Jamie Borwick, headed up the judging panel.
Essay details
Kathryn - who credits her mum as the inspiration for her essay – wrote about a need for a re-evaluation of town planning, greater emphasis on inclusion and accessibility, and for an evaluation of national policy to ensure accessible housing is delivered in all new developments.
She also argues for dedicated legislation to secure built environment designs that would better include people with profound and multiple learning difficulties, autism and dementia.
Read more about Kathryn's winning Habinteg 2020 Prize essay
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