Ageing Better commissioned Foundations, the national body for Home Improvement Agencies in England, to better understand how local authorities are financially supporting individuals to make changes to their home despite an extremely challenging context for public budgets.
Foundations worked closely with five local authorities across England who have different budgets, governance structures, demographics and geographic profiles and help to demonstrate a range of different contexts, challenges and solutions.
This research has produced three reports which we hope will serve as a useful resource for local authorities interested in expanding the financial support they offer their residents.
-
Our insight report, ‘Finding funds, fixing homes: local authority approaches to paying for home improvements’ summarises key findings from the research and highlights issues that local authorities and national government should consider when developing new finance offers or services.
-
Our report, ‘Developing a local loan offer: insights for local authorities considering adapting or introducing a local loan scheme’ focusses specifically on the theme of loans and provides reflections for local authorities considering adapting an existing home improvement loan scheme or introducing a new scheme for the first time based on analysis of the loans operating in the case study areas.
-
The full research report, ‘Financing Home Improvements: Local Authority Case Studies’ provides detailed case studies of the broad range of finance models employed in the five areas to support people to make changes to their home. These include discretionary grants, in-house loans, externally administered loans (e.g. administered by not-for-profit lenders), area renewal schemes and support for those able to pay.
Our upcoming webinar will showcase some of the innovative approaches to financing home improvements detailed in these reports.
