You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Housing association to open UK’s first LGBTQ+ retirement community
A housing association has announced that it will begin work on opening the UK’s first LGBTQ+ affirming retirement community after securing a £5.7m loan from the mayor of London.
Tonic Housing, which was set up in 2014 to address the issues of loneliness and isolation among older LGBTQ+ people, has received a loan as part of the mayor’s Community Housing Fund to purchase 19 homes within Bankhouse, an assisted living scheme in Lambeth developed by One Housing.
The properties will be made available through the Older Persons Shared Ownership scheme, which allows buyers to purchase between 25% and 75% of their property.
Tonic is applying to become a registered provider of social housing with the Regulator of Social Housing now that there is a firm proposal for property ownership through the Bankhouse purchases.
According to Tonic, this will be the first LGBTQ+ affirming retirement community in the UK.
The housing association said that the accommodation will help ensure residents do not feel the need to go back into the closet later in life, a scenario it said is typical for many older LGBTQ+ people accessing care or housing.
READ MORE
All Bankhouse staff will be given LGBTQ+ training and Tonic will co-create events with residents based on their interests, including collaborations with other LGBTQ+ organisations and support providers.
Designed by Norman Foster and situated on the River Thames, Bankhouse consists of 59 apartments for affordable rent and 25 apartments for shared ownership.
Tonic said it is working with One Housing to ensure that the LGBTQ+ affirming approach is for all residents, regardless of their tenure or landlord.
Sales are due to begin in late spring 2021, and the first residents are expected to move in from mid-summer 2021.
Anna Kear, chief executive of Tonic Housing, said: “We are making history today, realising a long-held dream to provide a safe place for older LGBT+ people to live well, in a community where they can be themselves and enjoy their later life. We applaud the mayor of London for recognising and supporting the needs of older LGBT+ Londoners.
“We intend this to be the first of many Tonic retirement communities, achieved by working in partnership in London and other cities. These first homes, that are already built and currently empty, will enable people who need and want this accommodation to have the benefit of it immediately.
“Working with One Housing, we can complement the excellent care services that they provide for residents in the scheme. We intend that future Tonic schemes will provide a range of tenures directly, created through further acquisitions or new developments. Bankhouse is an important milestone in Tonic’s evolution. We’re so excited to get our future residents settled in their new homes and living in our community. Moving in is just the beginning!”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I am proud to support Tonic in creating the UK’s first LGBTQ+ retirement community.
“London is an open, diverse, inclusive city and I’m delighted to see these long-held plans come to fruition with the help of this loan and my Community-Led Housing Hub.
Richard Hill, chief executive at One Housing, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside Tonic Housing and the [Greater London Authority] to provide homes for older LGBT+ people. We have a long history of investing in homes and communities and providing assisted living to older people.
“We look forward to welcoming new LGBT+ customers to Bankhouse, where they’ll be able to enjoy all the advantages of independent living with on-site care and support when they need it.”
Sign up for our care and support newsletter
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters
