An Intergenerational Community is a Thriving Community - Places for People

The importance of addressing ageism

As a Community Housing Manager bids farewell at one of our recently introduced ‘Keeping in Touch’ visits, the customer asked if they could pass their contact to one of their neighbours. “Of course. Better still, I’ll pop over now and introduce myself”. In person contact will always play an important role, for some Customers more so than others, which is why we’ve increased the number of frontline Colleagues in the past year. I see it as our job to create capacity for them to spend more time in the Community, helping those who benefit most from face-to-face contact, and this means making it easy and fulfilling for others to use digital services. However, the notion that older people can’t—or won’t—use digital technology is long outdated. At Places for People, our customers are embracing digital: 97% have a mobile phone, and 85% own a smartphone. While they may not have grown up with today’s technology, they’ve navigated extraordinary change throughout their lives—and are often eager to adopt new tools when we take the time to guide them. Digital isn’t just accessible; it’s an opportunity to connect, engage, and empower everyone, regardless of age. The channels through which services are delivered shouldn’t be determined primarily by age. Customers are far more nuanced than that, and our services—and the skills of our frontline teams—should reflect that complexity. By meeting people where they are, we ensure everyone has access to the support and channels that work best for them.

For Places for People, the kinds of organic interactions depicted above are at the core of forging strong intergenerational communities. It is the case now more than ever.

On the backdrop of an ageing population, the UK’s age dependency ratio has been steadily rising since the early 2010s and is projected to exponentially grow. This means that there will be a larger proportion of people aged 65+ compared to working-age adults and yet the rate at which we are building housing specifically suited to the older generation is not keeping pace. According to the UK Government’s Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, only around 5,000 to 7,000 “later living” homes are built each year—out of roughly 200,000 new homes in total—meaning that specialist housing for older people makes up just a small fraction of overall housing development.

An ageing population also puts pressure on public services, the resources for which are being squeezed. There are, however, significant benefits to having truly integrated intergeneration Communities across the spectrum, from strengthening social connections and enriching neighbourhood life, to offering friendship, support, and even informal childcare across generations. There are also health benefits - staying connected helps older adults remain active, independent, and valued — which in turn can ease pressure on health and social care services by reducing isolation, improving wellbeing, and delaying the need for formal support. The result is a more caring, resilient, and balanced community for everyone.

Sadly, The Centre for Ageing Better’s State of Ageing report found that around half of people aged over 50 experienced ageism in the last year. Moreover, fewer older people are reporting that they had a sense of belonging to their local area, with numbers falling to below pre-pandemic levels.

It’s in all our interests to combat such stigma, which similarly applies to others who face challenging circumstances or vulnerabilities in their lives. Doing so is the right thing and can be observed through how we provide support at Knowsley Road, Birkenhead.

Intergenerational living in practice: a case study

Knowsley Road in Birkenhead was purchased and converted by Places for People Living

Plus in late 2023 as part of its Specialist Landlord portfolio. The property provides ten selfcontained flats for adults with complex autistic spectrum conditions, with 24/7 care and

support delivered by a Local Authority Commissioned care provider. The home provides

an environment where people can live independently but still feel part of a wider

community, moving away from institutional care models.

We refurbished the property to create a modern, home environment with shared internal

spaces and a large rear garden designed to encourage interaction between residents,

families, neighbours and staff. These ‘third spaces’ serve as catchment points for the mix

of residents in surrounding properties, older people, young families and working-age

adults. From the outset, everyone is encouraged to foster informal links with their

neighbours through simple “good mornings” in the street, saying hello in local parks and

having conversations whilst out shopping.

Beyond the sense of belonging and inclusion this helps create for customers who may

otherwise be isolated, this has helped normalise relationships and build confidence,

providing positive social contact beyond formal support settings. For older neighbours,

this has offered an opportunity to play and unknown but valuable role in community

inclusion and strengthen a sense of understanding and tolerance across generations.

Strengthening community social capital is only one part of the story. Other practical

advantages of having intergenerational communities include their intrinsic diversity. This

allows older people to share their wisdom, skills and life lessons. Conversely, the young

reciprocate support in different ways. Older people are also often treated as care

recipients. This understates their contributions as unpaid caregivers. Informal

volunteering statistics are also revealing, as those in the age group 65-74 were more likely

to do so compared to all other age groups.

The cumulative impact of intergenerational living can be observed through how some of

our customers have made remarkable progress. Those who have previously lived in

restrictive or institutional settings are now making their own choices, forming friendships

and being visible members of their local community. Different generations are being

brought together in a positive way. This resilience is what we aspire to see across the UK.

Concluding thoughts and moving forward

Knowsley Road illustrates that intergenerational living is not only about shared buildings or shared spaces but about shared belonging. By embedding specialist supported housing within a settled, existing community, Living Plus has shown how independent living for people with complex needs can thrive when the right balance of care, housing and local connection is in place. It is a small but wonderful example of how inclusive, community-based housing can bring generations together for mutual benefit.

Places for People is still learning; better never ends. We are clear on our guiding principles for intergenerational living. First, integration within established, mixed-age neighbourhoods helps reduce stigma and promotes everyday inclusion. Second, informal connections between younger and older residents can play a powerful role in community cohesion. Third, a key enabler is close collaboration between housing and care partners – crucial for stability and quality. Above all, human connection must be at the epicentre of a thriving Community and in my view, a housing provider has an important role to play in facilitating and role modelling it.