Co-housing may bring HAPPI-ness

Mr Thomas talks about the value of co-operatives in realising these objectives but I would like to suggest that the idea of ‘co-housing’ is possibly a more important one in widening options for older people and perhaps younger households too.

Co-housing, for me, means the opportunity to live with neighbours who wish to be friends while respecting each other’s privacy. It is attractive to people like me who are having to think about retirement. It means that I can downsize from my present home, release some equity and enjoy the fellowship and stimulation that I presently derive from work. When I become much older I may want my co-housing group to help me manage my care. There are lots of people in my situation. Releasing equity and releasing family accommodation could make a major contribution not only to the care of the elderly but to the housing shortage and the economy as a whole.

But setting up co-ops or co-housing or indeed any kind of democratic housing governance seems to be extremely difficult. At present, in London, there are only three co-housing groups and they have been struggling to set up viable schemes for a number of years. What these groups need is not necessarily money but a framework which will first, provide them with the professional development support they need and second, provide a means of accessing support from local authorities and housing associations. One suspects a third need is a change in the attitude of social landlords to self-managed housing. The government has failed to provide a right to manage for tenants of social landlords.

My concern is that this potential will fall by the wayside. We will no doubt see in the wake of HAPPI, a spate of widely publicised, over-designed schemes, but little challenge to the ageism and the paternalism.

John Farr, Safe Neighbourhoods Unit, London