Finding housing solutions that address the needs of diverse individuals | Policy blog

Ninesh Muthiah is a serial innovator in social housing software applications and founder of Home Connections - a nonprofit enterprise owned by local authorities and housing associations. Over the past 15 years, Mitesh has helped shape Home Connections into a European award-winning, customer-focused service with an emphasis on access for vulnerable home seekers. In this blog, he discusses why building regulations should be amended and why national planning guidance is needed for local authorities.

According to a report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Being disabled in Britain report over 350,000 disabled individuals in England currently have housing needs that remain unfulfilled.

Additionally, one-third of those residing in rented accommodations face the challenge of living in unsuitable properties.

The situation in Scotland reveals approximately 17,000 wheelchair users experiencing unmet housing needs, and Wales is also grappling with a significant shortage of accessible and wheelchair-friendly housing.

National strategy & guidance needed

Surprisingly, less than one-fourth of local authorities (22 percent) possess an accessible housing register, and a mere 28 percent have set targets for accessible housing. After conducting an extensive 18-month inquiry, the EHRC report urges the government to develop a national strategy that ensures an adequate supply of new homes constructed with inclusive design standards in mind.

According to the report, although more than two-thirds of local authorities acknowledge that developers frequently fail to comply with accessibility requirements, only a small fraction of them (three percent, specifically seven local authorities) have taken any measures against developers in the past three years.

In addition to the call for a national strategy, the report emphasises the need for the UK Government to establish compulsory planning guidance for local authorities. This guidance would assist them in assessing demand and effectively delivering accessible, adaptable, and wheelchair-accessible housing.

Building regulations should be amended

Furthermore, the report suggests that the government should amend building regulations to ensure that the optional M4(2) accessibility standard, which consists of design criteria aimed at enhancing the lifelong adaptability of homes, becomes a mandatory minimum standard for all new housing projects.

The categories used to classify accessible housing or housing needs can be rigid and may not encompass the diverse range of individual requirements. It's essential to recognise that each person has unique and specific needs that may not fit neatly into predefined categories.

Flexibility and personalised assessments are crucial to ensure that housing solutions adequately address the individual needs of diverse individuals and accommodate their varying abilities.

Taking a person-centered approach and considering individual circumstances is vital in creating inclusive and suitable accessible housing options for everyone.

Homefinder UK’s mission

At Homefinder UK - a service created by Home Connections - we strongly believe that people can achieve their best when they feel comfortable in their lives and homes. Our mission is to assist individuals in moving to their dream homes through a case management approach, facilitating a faster process of matching people with their accessible housing requirements.

We have a dedicated team of resilient case managers who are committed to going above and beyond to help applicants find suitable homes.

Accessible Now is the service we are developing for promoting and advertising available accessible properties. Behind our team, we have developers who are diligently working on creating a property accessibility checklist tool.

This tool will enable housing providers to effectively identify and assess the accessibility of properties and ensure these are advertised correctly. The form will also ensure that accessibility information about the property is correctly advertised.

We firmly believe that everyone deserves the best, and when people are happy and comfortable, they can accomplish more, contribute positively to society, and make the world a better place.

Our goal is to work diligently and efficiently to match our applicants with suitable properties through our case management service, reducing the time properties remain vacant. We understand the urgent need for accessible housing, and we aim to minimise or eliminate the period when a property stays unoccupied.

Our services provide excellent opportunities for individuals requiring accessible properties or those who have an occupational therapy assessment but are struggling to find a home that meets their wheelchair accessible housing needs.

Additionally, our unbeatable matching service benefits housing providers by ensuring a swift turnover of accessible housing properties, preventing prolonged vacancies while waiting for suitable matches.