Supported and Specialist Housing

What Is It?

The population of Essex is ageing. What is needed is a wide range of housing types across all tenures, including accessible and adaptable general needs retirement housing. It is important to make this provision as it will help to ensure fluidity in the local housing market by freeing up some larger properties for families as well as supporting healthy, active and independent living for people as they age. Everyone benefits from this approach.

Given the ageing population there is a relatively high number of households containing someone with a disability. In addition to general needs retirement, there will also be a need for specially adapted and/or designed accommodation including extra care housing to meet these needs. Developing initiatives with specialist providers will be encouraged.

Supported accommodation is also required to meet the needs of younger adults with special needs (who might also have a disability) in order that they can gain increased independence and become less reliant on ageing parents.

What Are We Doing?

The Supported and Specialist Housing Need Assessment (2025) (SSHNA) provides estimates of future need for supported and specialist housing and accommodation for the administrative area of Essex County Council.  The forecast is for 20 year to 2044, in five year intervals (or less for smaller groups and or where data is not so robust). It does not include data for the unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock, which will hopefully be added at a later date.

Further details can be found here:

https://data.essex.gov.uk/dataset/supported-and-specialist-housing-and-accommodation-needs-assessm-2k6nr

Previously, the South Essex Commission of Enquiry into co-operation between housing, health and adult social care reported its findings in 2011. It promoted independent living in attractive, well designed housing and facilitate the delivery of health and adult social care services into people’s homes, where this is needed. The report and recommendations remain relevant today.

Key Links For Further Information

Extra care housing | Essex County Council

Ageing Population | Essex Design Guide