Sarah Lilly: Accessible Housing: A necessity, not a luxury | Policy blog

Sarah Lilly , Development Officer for Cerebral Palsy Midlands (CPM), has a sister Vicky, living with quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. Growing up, Sarah became a second carer to Vicky, which gave her an intimate understanding of the challenges faced by severely disabled people. Her experiences have shaped her advocacy for accessible housing, which she says is crucial for the independence and dignity of people like her sister.

At Cerebral Palsy Midlands, we’re more than just a day service provider—we’re a community that supports adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities to live fuller, more independent lives. A cornerstone of this support is ensuring that our community members have access to housing that meets their needs.

Housing options

For many disabled adults the home environment can either enable or limit their independence. Essential features such as widened corridors, step-free entrances, and accessible toilets or wet rooms are not luxuries—they are necessities. Without these, many of the individuals we serve at CPM would be unable to live independently or receive the care they require.

Cerebral Palsy is a complex disability that presents differently in each person. Some individuals may have mild physical limitations and live independently with minimal support, while others, like my sister Vicky, require extensive care due to the significant physical challenges they face.

According to World CP Day, 1 in 4 people with cerebral palsy cannot talk, 1 in 4 cannot walk, and 1 in 2 have an intellectual disability. These statistics highlight the diversity of needs within our community, which must be reflected in the housing options available.

Impact of inaccessible housing

In 2021, I helped Vicky search for new "supported living" accommodation in the West Midlands. I was shocked to find the lack of opportunities and options available. Some of the supported housing options we were sent to view had stepped entrances, narrow corridors, and did not have a downstairs bathroom, making them completely unsuitable for my sister's physical needs.

Vicky now lives outside of Birmingham because we couldn’t find anything suitable within our city. This has impacted how we, as a family, can support her, given the distance.

Another citizen within our charity had to have their whole home adapted downstairs after the lift to the upstairs was deemed unsafe, as it was bending the beams of the house with the risk of breaking.

The family had to stay away from their home for four months while the work was carried out, costing the local authority thousands of pounds. If more M4(2) homes were available and being built, this significant expense and disruption could have been avoided, and the necessary adaptations could have been much simpler.

Accessible Homes Week

This year Habinteg’s Accessible Homes Week focuses on the urgent need to implement the M4(2) accessible and adaptable housing standards across all new homes.

The M4(2) standard ensures that homes are designed with basic accessibility features, making them adaptable to the needs of people with disabilities. This is particularly vital given that many of our citizens rely on manual or power wheelchairs and mobility aids. A home built to M4(2) standards is not just a convenience; it’s a foundation for a life of dignity and independence.

Yet, despite the Government's 2020 commitment to raise accessibility standards, little progress has been made. The new Labour Government has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes, but there’s been no explicit commitment to ensuring these homes meet the M4(2) standard. This is a critical oversight that risks leaving behind those who need accessible housing the most.

M4(2) Now

We at Cerebral Palsy Midlands, along with Habinteg and many other advocates, are calling on the Government to act now. Many of our citizens require M4(3) wheelchair user homes as mandatory, but we need to raise the bar from where we are right now and take a step in the right direction.

Raising the baseline for new homes to the M4(2) standard is not just about ticking a box; it’s about providing homes that meet the real, everyday needs of people with disabilities. This change would simplify the planning system, reduce the burden on local authorities, and most importantly, ensure that new homes are built with accessibility in mind.

Our community deserves better. We deserve homes that are not just buildings but places where we can live fully, independently, and with dignity. M4(2) is a step in the right direction, but it’s up to us to make sure the Government follows through on its promise.