Thousands more adaptable and wheelchair accessible homes are needed for people with disabilities in London.
An exclusive ITV News report aired in December 2022 revealed that there are at least five thousand people on waiting lists for accessible homes in the capital.
After landing a job in London, Millie Hawes “assumed naively” that the capital would have plenty of accessible housing.
She tried for nine months to find a specially adapted flat that she could get around in her wheelchair – before giving up and settling on a property that doesn’t suit her needs.
New data shows London needs:
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4,115 accessible or adaptable homes
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1,244 wheelchair-friendly homes are required
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1/3 councils responded to requests for information, suggesting true figures are far higher.
CEO Nick Apetroaie said: “What we’re waiting for now is the consultation and the timescale to make those minimum standards of accessibility for new homes the norm.”Earlier research by the housing association estimated that more than 400,000 wheelchair users in England alone are living in homes that are neither adapted, nor accessible.
A 2018 Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report found that “disabled people report a severe shortage of accessible houses across all tenures” with social housing “particularly pressured, with long waiting lists”.
Unsuitable living spaces continue to have a severe negative impact as they harden barriers and restrictions for individuals- striving to be part of everyday living, social events and work related opportunities.
“A person is disabled by society and by the barriers that exist within society,” Ms Hawes told ITV News. “Non-disabled people often don’t recognise that.”