Disability Rights UK (DRUK) reports that it has joined forces with nine other organisations in coalition to campaign for accessible housing under the banner ‘HoME – Housing Made for Everyone’.
HoME has written an open letter to the next government to demand that urgent action is taken to tackle the growing shortage of accessible homes in the UK.
Sue Bott, DRUK’s Head of Policy and Research says: “DRUK is pleased to be a founder member of the HoME coalition. We know from our members how difficult it is to find accessible housing and how many disabled people are living in accommodation that is totally unsuitable.”
“For many disabled people the housing crisis represents a double whammy: first find affordable housing, then try and find affordable accessible housing. In some parts of the country that has become next to impossible.”
93% of UK homes are not accessible – this means that disabled people cannot even visit friends, let alone live in adapted accommodation. People living in inaccessible homes are four times less likely to be employed.
The HoME group is urging whoever wins the forthcoming election to review the regulatory baseline for homes – to make the accessible, adaptable design standard set out in Building Regulations.
