Executive summary

The housing choices across Greater Manchester for people in mid and later life are diverse; established neighbourhoods respond to different needs and aspirations, promote social connections and support equality, positive health, well-being and independence.

This is our vision for creating age-friendly homes in Greater Manchester, shared by the partners in the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub and the Greater Manchester Age-Friendly Strategy.

We seek to achieve a permanent cultural shift around housing in later life; recognising that people want a choice of different, affordable mainstream and specialist housing options that meet both need and aspiration and in places where they can maintain or build social connections, achieve good health and independence.

The Greater Manchester Ageing Hub, led by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), brings together partners to respond to the opportunities and challenges of an ageing population in the city region. Our focus is to bring research and innovation into policy and practice and promote evidence-based decision-making to improve the lives of older people.

This framework is developed from our collective work over the last four years to achieve ambitious, long-term outcomes in increasing the supply of age-friendly homes in Greater Manchester. It is based on listening to the voices and experiences of our residents, delivering research and analysis, and developing new approaches to housing and the places in which older residents live.

Creating Age-Friendly Homes in Greater Manchester is delivered in the context of the Greater Manchester Strategy and related priorities to improve the lives of all in Greater Manchester. The framework identifies five main themes that will be underpinned by the development of a Greater Manchester Age-Friendly Housing Charter. The five themes are:

  1. Embedding ageing in all our housing strategy and delivery
  2. Resetting the conversation, ‘valuable not vulnerable’
  3. Making an impact on the ground
  4. Promoting ‘Improve or Move’
  5. Celebrating homes and neighbourhoods that enable people to live well in later life

Our progress will be monitored through the Greater Manchester Housing Strategy Implementation Plan. An annual workplan will set out the contributions from partners of their resources, expertise and influence in pursuing our shared agenda and ambitions.

While the Housing, Planning and Ageing Group will oversee, challenge and promote this work, delivering on our ambitions will require the engagement and commitment of many organisations and partnerships in Greater Manchester and across our local authorities to collaborate and co-produce solutions.

Through our strategic partnership with the Centre for Ageing Better and work of other national partners we will continue to be part of a national and international movement of learning and influencing as we build on our track record as an age-friendly city region.

This framework is developed from our collective work over the last four years to achieve ambitious, long-term outcomes in increasing the supply of age-friendly homes in Greater Manchester.