When it comes to housing, it’s easy to think of young people as trapped in unsafe rentals, while older people are comfortable homeowners. But for people with disabilities, the story doesn’t quite fit.
This is an article in the sixth issue of “New Economic Magazine”.you can Find the full issue here.
Do you remember the last time you waited for something important? Stress building as you wait for answers?
Every day, people with disabilities across the country wait for news about accessible housing. We may be waiting for the council to tell us if we have accessible homes, or if modifications are needed to make our homes safer. Often, we’re all waiting to see if our benefits will be enough to pay the rent.
When it comes to housing, people with disabilities have to wait years for good news. At the same time, Britain’s housing system drains us of our energy, spirit and independence.
When we talk about problems with the housing system, we often talk in terms of a binary: young people are stuck renting, while older people own their own homes and have stable lives.
But this is not the reality for people with disabilities. According to the Office for National Statistics, people of all ages are less likely to own their own home (ONS) finds elderly disabled people Compared with non-disabled people, they are 20% less likely to own their own home. Disabled people are more dependent on social housing than home ownership, and our homes rarely meet our needs.
For non-disabled people, it can be difficult to imagine the reality of living in a home with limited transportation. We are not asking for luxuries or vanity items – we are asking for a home that we are entitled to.
Disabled people make up a fifth of the UK population, but many people outside our circles don’t understand that inaccessible homes are unsafe, can worsen our impairment or health conditions, and directly prevent us from being able to function regardless of our age. Live an independent, active, fulfilling life.
This lack of understanding has resulted in an urgent need for adaptation in our homes. These changes are often simple, such as installing stairlifts, level showers and wet rooms, wash and dry toilets, ramps or wider doors. These considerations should indeed come first when building a home, but instead we must retrofit existing housing.
But retrofits don’t come cheap, with the average retrofit provided by the government-funded Disability Facilities Grant Now over £9,000. As more and more people are forced to live in private rented accommodation, we face an even harder task of change. Only 8% of disability provision grant applications come from private tenants, and many of us are often refused modifications by our landlords because they do not want disability equipment installed in our homes.
The lack of accessible or adapted housing means many of us are forced to further extend our already meager entitlements to social care support simply because our homes are not adapted or adapted. Imagine how you would feel if you couldn’t shower without support because your landlord refused to install something as simple as a railing.
The problems plaguing our unequal housing system have permeated the country.overwhelming 91% of households Even the lowest level of accessibility is not provided, and less than 1 in 10 homes are suitable for us to live in.
Our nation’s failure to build the homes we need deprives a new generation of people with disabilities the right to live independently.New report from Big problem shows more and more young disabled people are being forced to live with their parents for too longDue to a lack of affordable, convenient options, homes are often too small or inappropriate for their needs. Older people with disabilities often report feeling isolated, trapped in inaccessible homes and cut off from local communities and support networks.
1.8 million people with disabilities have accessible housing needs, and the government must take action to meet the demand for increased social housing construction. New social homes need to have better minimum accessibility standards.
Unfortunately, this government has blocked an extensive consultation process that would have set out to detail how minimum accessibility standards for new buildings would be raised and how this change would be implemented.
Older disabled people will be all too familiar with the government’s lack of motivation to fix our broken system. Many will remember that by the early 1990s, The number of wheelchair-friendly homes built by housing associations has dropped to below 70 a year.
As the saga surrounding new building standards shows no sign of ending, let’s be clear: We can’t rely on construction alone to get out of this crisis.
Research continues to show How important it is to repair our existing stocks if we are to meet our climate goals and avoid a devastating climate emergency. The UK has some of the worst-ventilated housing in Europe and our heavy reliance on fossil gas for heating means homes account for a large proportion of our carbon footprint.The scale of the problem is daunting New research from the Health Foundation finds 15% of families with disabled people live in degrading conditions home. But as we try to address the climate impact of dilapidated housing, accessibility must not be ignored.
We should have homes that suit our needs, but there’s no reason why they can’t be warmer, safer and greener. Making our homes a better place can unite us all, no matter our age. Everyone deserves a sustainable future in the safety and comfort of their home.
But policy is only part of the system that must change. Currently, we are experiencing a resurgence of housing struggles across the country, yet many housing justice spaces are inaccessible.
Often on a practical level, campaign groups prioritize meeting in person, which can exclude people with disabilities. The continued spread of Covid-19 is extremely dangerous for some people with disabilities, limiting our ability to participate. Sometimes the housing movement prioritizes individuals with similar backgrounds and experiences, valuing the ability to write a good email over the lived experience that many of us bring to the table.
A quality home is an accessible home. We know the sport needs our energy, experience and expertise, but it has to make room for us.
People with disabilities have agency and power, but activists must provide accessible spaces in order to work with us. Some basic steps are still missing from our movement, such as considering our access needs and adapting spaces to suit our communication needs (such as ensuring British Sign Language interpreters are available) and working to ensure hybrid meetings are smooth and engaging.you can’t just say “Face to face is better” and relieve yourself of the responsibility of ensuring your organizational space is as accessible as possible.
As individuals we can only make small changes, no matter how many followers we have online, the emails we send or the councils we call. What can make a difference is building local power, whether that’s working with local disability organizations, organizing disability groups in our communities, creating neighborhood groups or joining tenants or tenants’ unions.
Working together, people with disabilities of all ages can fight and win! We all deserve a home where we can thrive – a home that is safe, warm and suited to our needs. You can bet we will fight for them no matter how old we get.
Mikey Erhardt is policy and campaigns officer at Disability Rights UK, focusing on housing and social care, and an active housing union organizer.
Image source: iStock/Solstock
