#ForAccessibleHomes

We're for accessible homes, are you?

Every September, we run a week of action - Accessible Homes Week (AHW) - to celebrate what an accessible home can do for a person's wellbeing, independence and overall quality of life.

This year marks our ninth annual Accessible Homes Week, which runs from 9 - 13 September 2024. 

New data 

With a new Labour Government now in office, and with the party’s pledge to increase the number of new homes being built, we're grasping the opportunity to urge the government to uphold the previous administration’s decision to raise the accessibility standard of all new homes to the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard. Hence our theme for AHW 2024 is M4(2) Now.

This year, we're illustrating some of the most tangible value, to society, of building to the M4(2) standard. Our cost comparisons of  grab rail, stairlift and wet room adaptations  show that people living in   an M4(1) visitable dwelling who may need to make such adaptations could be almost £27,000 worse off compared to those in an accessible and adaptable M4(2) home. 

Families and individuals could be forced to spend savings to privately fund essential adaptation whilst Local Authorities would be picking up the bill for those who do not have savings through a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).

With Government allocating £625 million to Local Authorities’ DFG funds in 2024/25 (185% more than 10 years ago), unless homes are designed to be more adaptable from the outset, Councils are set to face increasing pressure on home adaptation grants as the population ages and disability rates rise.

This is why Habinteg is urging the Government to make the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard the baseline for all new homes in England, and to immediately hold the one short consultation with industry stakeholders on the implementation details to make it happen.

Homes for everyone

With just 9% of the housing stock in England having basic access features, we know that too many disabled and older people are living in unsuitable housing, which can impact on their ability to live independently.

This is why inclusive, accessible homes are a must for everyone - they allow us to use our homes throughout our whole lives, even when our needs change.

In order to make sure that there are enough accessible homes for everyone who needs them, the government, local authorities, planners, developers and communities all have their part to play to address the shortage of accessible homes.

And so do you.

Here's how you can get involved

• Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and share our posts.
• Using your social channels, tell us how your accessible home has changed your life & tag us.
• If you've got an accessible home story you'd like us to share on our channels as part of the campaign, email us and let us know
• Read our research - the blogs below - and share them with your friends, family and social media network.
• Use the hashtags #AccessibleHomesWeek, #AHW2024, #ForAccessibleHomes and #M42Now.