The CEO of Manningham Housing Association has informed a Westminster inquiry that there is a pressing need to offer improved housing options for elderly individuals from BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) backgrounds who wish to downsize their homes. This includes providing them with better accommodation options in terms of quality and location.
While providing testimony to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing and Older People’s investigation into the redevelopment of outdated sheltered housing in the House of Lords, Lee Bloomfield also emphasized the necessity for further research into the unique challenges faced by local authority areas with a significant percentage of BAME residents.
Mr. Bloomfield stated that Manningham Housing Association, which possesses slightly over 1400 properties in Bradford and Keighley and maintains a waiting list of over 2,000 individuals, has employed a strategy of making necessary repairs and adaptations to enable elderly residents to remain in their current homes.
Mr Bloomfield continued: “Intergenerational living – the old assumption that people from BAME groups look after their older parents and grandparents at home – is an oversimplification. It can no longer be expected that extended families will take on the sole responsibility for their relatives as they themselves grapple with the demands of contemporary modern life.”
The Manningham Housing Association chief executive told the inquiry that “one size fits all does not work for all groups and places,” adding, “we need better choices for older people from BAME communities and we need different solutions.”
And he cited Leeds Jewish Housing Association as “a great example of integrated housing, housing support and on-site care framed around a community centre providing culturally sensitive services such as a synagogue on site, a café and restaurant, and arts and culture activities.”
