Funding boost for older people's housing service
A national older people’s housing advice service has been awarded a two-year funding package worth £1.5 million.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has awarded the money to the Elderly Accommodation Council to fund its FirstStop service.
FirstStop offers advice and support to older people, their families and carers on housing, care, money and rights. The service will receive a £840,000 grant from April 1, 2011 and £660,000 for the 2012/13 financial year.
Communities Minister Bob Neil said: ‘As we all get older, we still want to retain our independence and our home and it is one of the coalition government’s aims to enable people to do this.’
Around 15,000 people contacted the FirstStop advice line last year, with around 115,000 accessing advice via the website and over 1,000 people being helped through local partners.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the number of older people is expected to increase to 12.2 million in 2011. By 2018 it is estimated that 780,000 people will be aged 80 and over.
EAC chief executive, John Galvin, said: ‘All FirstStop’s services promote positive choice and independence in later life. Providing advice on housing, care, money and rights at an early stage can help to alleviate the need for more intensive interventions through health and social care as people grow older. It also gives individuals time to plan how they will manage in later life.’
