Gail and Carla’s battle for accessible and affordable housing

Affordable, accessible, sustainable and good quality housing is the foundation for a decent life and future.

For those with accessibility needs, a well-designed and accessible home is critical. That’s why we think rural developments should have a mix of tenures so that homes cater to the needs of the whole community.

Lack of accessible homes

In 2024, CPRE examined the local plans of 45 ‘mainly’ or ‘largely’ rural local authorities. Our research found that only 17 of them had set a target relating to accessible housing delivery, and only nine had set requirements for wheelchair-accessible housing. The social rented sector is the tenure with the highest proportion of households containing someone with a disability at 56% (English Housing Survey 2022-23). This shows that there is a need for accessible social and affordable homes. However, under the current planning regime and building rate ‘a wheelchair user joining the list today could wait up to 47 years for a new home that meets their needs’ (Habinteg, 2022).

Unable to act independently

It’s clear that people with accessibility needs are being let down, though the story of Gail and her partner Carla is one of optimism through adversity. Six years ago, Gail had undergone an amputation of her leg. This changed both of their lives and their housing needs. Because she was living in a multi-story house, Gail was unable to act independently and was forced to crawl when she was upstairs, as the doors were not wide enough for her wheelchair. This way of living was negatively impacting her mental health.

Thankfully, Habinteg Housing Association, a social housing provider that specialises in accessible housing, was able to move Gail and Carla into a bungalow in their hometown of Roche, Cornwall: a place that Gail has strong family ties to and has lived all her life. The move into accessible social housing enabled Gail to regain her independence and has been such a positive uplift for her mental health.

A broken, messy system

For Gail and Carla, it took around three years for them to find a suitable accessible bungalow, which was provided by Habinteg. The housing allocation systems across England can be messy and inefficient to the detriment of those that desperately need an accessible home. Gail had been rejected previously for a home due not having a strong enough tie to Roche, despite having strong family ties to the area – and having lived there all her life.

There is a lack of clarity over how housing allocations work. Only a handful of local authorities operate an Accessible Housing Register, which keeps the accessible/adaptable homes separate from the commonly used ‘choice-based letting system’ – as in some cases the accessible homes are allocated to those that do not need them. This lengthens process for those in need, with enormous impacts on wellbeing and quality of life. CPRE’s research found that of the 45 rural local authorities, only five of them currently have an accessible housing register.

Foundations for a decent life

Carla and Gail were finally able to secure a house that suited their needs, thanks to Habinteg. Their story shows how crucially important accessible social housing is, and lays bare our broken housing system that isn’t meeting need, whether that be on affordability, accessibility or both.

At CPRE, we’ve exposed the hidden crisis of affordable housing in rural areas, and we’re urging the government to take a series of steps to fix it, including affordable housing targets, and ensuring that developers offer a mix of tenures to reflect a community’s diversity.

Find out more about our campaign here.

Special thanks to Bessie Farr, one of our rural affordable housing research volunteers, for her work in supporting this case study.