Improving Accessible Housing Registers

When I started at Tai Pawb in January to do 10 weeks work placement from my Housing Policy and Practice degree I was very excited to begin work on an area I am passionate about: accessible housing.

I have been carrying out extensive research around Accessible Housing Registers and how local authorities in England and Wales use them. I found that there were differences between local authorities but especially between those in London and Wales. This research has allowed me, with support from the team at Tai Pawb, to draft the questions that would be used as a survey asking for tenant’s views and expectations, and for when I met with a focus group.

We emailed all local authorities and housing associations in Wales and asked them to send to the link to their social tenants. It was great to get cooperation from so many housing providers, as we had to rely on them to act as ‘gatekeepers’ to access their tenants.

I was pleasantly surprised that with the first week of the survey going live we had 11 responses. This was very encouraging as I wasn’t sure how much interest there would be on this topic! A big thank you to Taff Housing for allowing me to attend a meeting of their Disability Awareness Group where disabled tenants come together to discuss issues, share their experiences and give feedback to help improve the service.

We held our own Focus Group and the attendees were very pleased that we wanted to have their input regarding Accessible Housing Registers and we found they had some really good ideas and useful experiences. We have received 65 fantastic responses to our survey and the information has been extremely helpful as we go forward with Accessible Housing Registers for Wales. 

My hope is that all local authorities develop their own registers and coordinate with one another so that all accessible housing is being utilised in the best possible way for disabled people. Once my current studies are finished, it is an area I hope to continue working in.

I am extremely grateful to all tenants who have taken part in this survey and to the staff at Tai Pawb who have supported me so much during my work placement. I have really enjoyed myself working with them and have felt like one of the family.

Jill Wadley – Student Work Placement

Our work on Accessible Housing Registers will continue, and if you would like to discuss them further please get in touch with Alicja Zalesinska – alicja@taipawb.org.