Help available for older people
There are various options available for older people dependent on whether they wish to remain in their current home, need to move to something more suitable or are threatened with, or are, homeless.
The housing solutions team at Ealing Council will try to identify housing problems at the earliest opportunity to hopefully prevent you from becoming homeless. If you are threatened with homelessness, or are homeless, we have a duty to assess your situation, identify what your housing and support needs are, and to work with you to try to prevent your homelessness or support you to find you somewhere to live.
We will provide you with a personal housing plan which will tell you what we can do to help you and what you can do to help yourself. This might include actions such as attending viewings or private sector or supported housing or engaging with organisations that can assist older people.
For Ealing Council housing solutions to be legally obliged to provide you with accommodation, we would need to be satisfied that you are eligible, homeless, in priority need and have not made yourself intentionally homeless.
Whilst old age itself does not confer an automatic priority need for accommodation, we look at all your personal circumstances and will take into account information we gather from various sources, including any medical professionals involved in your care.
Even if we do not have a statutory duty to provide accommodation, we will still actively work with you to try to resolve your housing need.
The best way to get advice from Ealing Council housing solutions is to visit Ealing Council at Perceval House, 14/16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing W5 2HL between 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
We will either give you advice on the day you visit us, or after making an initial assessment of your circumstances, will make an appointment for you to see an advisor at a later date.
Please note that Perceval House opens at 10am on the second Wednesday of each month.
Buying and renting
It is sometimes possible to buy a flat in a housing complex for older people. If you already own your home, it may be easier for you to buy than to rent, as home owners are usually not given priority on waiting lists to rent from the council or a housing association.
Support available to remain in your own home
Our housing options for older people pages provide information about changes and adaptations you can make to your home. It also details equipment available to help you maintain your independence and remain living in your own home.
You can also find information on:
- the handyperson service, run by the council's home improvement agency
- help with moving to alternative accommodation including Ealing Council’s under-occupation scheme
Further information
Further information is available from Age UK.
You can also search for accommodation schemes in your local area through Housing Care provided by the Elderly Accommodation Counsel.
The Almshouse Association provides information on almshouses.
There are a number of social mobility schemes that are available to older people, including the national Seaside and Country Homes scheme