UK could have its first 'LGBT-friendly' care village by 2020

Homophobia can be a real problem in care homes and people who have been 'out' all their lives feel forced to hide their sexuality and keep it a secret.

A survey carried out last year by Nottingham University concluded that many older lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people feel unable to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to staff, after it found the majority of staff said there were no LGBT residents in their homes.

There is estimated to be around a million LGBT people in Britain over the age of 55 and with over a quarter of a million people living in care homes, it seems there are many who have felt forced to return to the ‘closet’.

It is because of these people that Tonic Housing, a community interest company, has come up with a plan to develop a ‘LGBT-friendly’ care village similar to an initiative in Berlin - Lebensort Vielfalt, which is Europe’s first multi-generational home for LGBT people.

Tonic wants the development to ‘be more than just a residential care home. We envisage a hub providing businesses and services that are relevant to both the residents and the surrounding community, whether LGBT or otherwise’.

Tonic wants the care village to house around 150 people and in addition wants to offer domiciliary care specifically for older LGBT people.

'We want a space that is striking and has a clear LGBT ethos and that people can be comfortable in'

Speaking about their plans, one of the four directors of Tonic Housing, James Greenshields, said: “Tonic Housing plans to offer an innovative, inclusive care space that would provide people with the chance to engage with likeminded individuals from a range of backgrounds and different communities, not just those from the LGBT community.

“We’re not saying this is exclusively LGBT, but we want a space that has a clear LGBT ethos and that people can be comfortable in. It could have a majority of LGBT people living there but equally could have straight people living there as well.”

In addition, Tonic Housing plans to create a building that has a design that is striking, and different from many current older people’s care villages. Mr Greenshields revealed they’ve had meetings with architects about design concepts and the possibility of launching a design competition. He said: “We realise we have a budget and there are certain things we need when creating a space for older people, but we do want to think ambitiously and challenge that it doesn’t always need to be how it seems to be.”

Mr Greenshields added: “We’ve already done a huge amount of consultation with the community, and are working very closely with LGBT sector organisations, and we hope that we are developing a model that will be seen as an exemplar.”

As part of its initial research, Tonic Housing has already visited several different care providers and care spaces over the past year and has had meetings with some of the largest housing associations in the country.

Mr Greenshields said: “We’ve been very impressed with their willingness to engage and listen. There’s an acknowledgement, that there are many LGBT people out there in existing provisions but they’re not comfortable to say that that’s who they are. There’s something very poignant about that, when many of these people may have fought for the right that we enjoy today are now at a more vulnerable stage of their lives feel that they need to go back into the ‘closet’.

“Out of the many homes we visited, when asked how many LGBT residents they had, the answer was none, which statistically doesn’t add up. So that would imply that regrettably there are people but they don’t feel comfortable revealing who they are.”

So far, Tonic Housing has the financial support for research and development of five large national trusts, including: Comic Relief, Trust for London, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Barrow Cadbury Trust and The Tudor Trust.

Initially, their plans are focused on London and Brighton, as it is a London based company and is making use of its immediate connections, but it recognises that there is demand across the UK for supportive, LGBT-friendly housing and care for older people.

“As we go forward, we go with open minds, not just in the design but with the activities within the space and what could happen there. Everything is being checked and cross referenced with the LGBT community, ensuring it is in-line with what people want.

“We’re ambitious as an organisation to take this further than what we’re doing in terms of creating a space. We are truly excited by the possibilities of this and it will only flourish with a very inclusive ambition, not exclusive,” said Mr Greenshields.

'LGBT people should feel accepted, no matter where they live'

As well as creating a care village that is specifically ‘LGBT-friendly’, Mr Greenshields is keen to improve awareness and make current care providers more sensitive to the difficulties faced by older LGBT people.

He said: “It’s got to come down to training, if you haven’t lived in a world where LGBT people surround you, you may not have the sensitivities that someone who has. For example there may be the assumption that you have grandchildren, when you may not.

“We’re interested in how we can have an impact on current mainstream provision and that could be for example: the development of a kite mark, whereby we could offer training to support existing staff to talk about the individual needs of a particular community.

“We’re not trying to be combative to current provision but we think there are ways they can improve, and there are some really great examples of what people are trying to do.”

His views are echoed by LGBT charity, Stonewall with a spokesman saying: “We want to see improvements to the current care provided in residential homes for older LGBT people and we continue to work with health and social care providers to ensure that all LGBT people, no matter where they live, what their economic circumstance, faith or ethnicity, they can be accepted.”

Care provider, Anchor, runs an LGBT advisory group, with the group aiming to share best practice across all Anchor care facilities and make them a welcoming and safe environment for LGBT residents and staff.

Customer engagement manager at Anchor, Brenda Metcalfe, who established the group, said: “Anchor’s LGBT Advisory Group acts as a watching brief on equality and diversity standards for staff. They have written a guide, with advice on things like language use and respecting individual choice. They also help to inform training programmes for care staff, on sexuality and intimacy, as well as diversity and equality courses.”

Older people’s charity, Age UK has been working with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and LGBT housing organisation, Stonewall Housing to explore innovative housing solutions for older LGBT people.

Charity director at Age UK, Caroline Abrahams, said: “While some progress has been made in raising awareness about issues facing older LGBT people in care homes there is still a lack of knowledge about individual needs such as the importance of same-sex partners being fully involved in any discussions about a resident’s care.

“We recognise that for older LGBT people who have lived through times of profound discrimination, the need for safe housing and support in later life, where they are free to be themselves without fear of prejudice, is especially important. It is essential that people should have a range of options, including LGBT specific and affirming housing and support. However, there is a widespread assumption that older people just don’t have any sexual orientation and so some are left to feel like they cannot talk about their needs or feelings when it comes to certain services.

“We are aware the majority of older LGBT people do not have access to specialist housing catering specifically for them so we need to ensure that all housing and support services are ‘safe spaces’ and LGBT-friendly.”

'Mainstream housing and care services should be fully inclusive of LGBT people'

In recent years, there have been many changes to equal rights legislation, however, there is still evidence to suggest that LGBT people are the subject of discrimination and hate crime.

Stonewall Housing have seen the number of people contacting them for help with housing advice grow rapidly. Chief executive of Stonewall Housing, Bob Green commented: "Despite legal advances with the Equality Act and Equal Marriage, many LGBT people live in fear of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. It is appalling that if someone wanted to live in housing designed by and for older LGBT people they would have to move to Europe or the United States.

“Some services are very welcoming to older LGBT people but research into LGBT ageing indicates that our communities have particular needs in relation to care and support, as we are at greater risk of isolation and dependence on services as we get older.”

Heather Williams, policy and research manager at LGBT Foundation said: “Older LGBT people can face particular isolation and vulnerability as they age, due to a combination of discrimination, fewer family connections than heterosexual and non-trans peers, and barriers to accessing services.

“LGBT specific housing is a welcome development therefore, and is a desirable option for many. However, we must also focus on ensuring that mainstream housing and care services are fully inclusive of LGBT people and provide services that meet their needs."

For more information about Tonic Housing’s ‘LGBT-friendly’ care village, go to: http://www.tonichousing.org.uk/