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Housing Learning and Improvement Network

  • Last modified date:
    12 June 2008

The Housing LIN is the national network for promoting new ideas and supporting change in the delivery of housing, care and support services for older and vulnerable people. It has the lead for supporting the implementation and sharing the learning from the Department of Health’s £227m Extra Care Housing Grant arrangements and related housing, care and support capital and revenue programmes.

What is the Housing Learning and Improvement Network?

The LIN was established in 2002 under the auspices of the Health and Social Care Change Agent Team in the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) at the Department of Health. It works alongside other government departments and professional networks, in particular the CSIP Telecare LIN, the Better Commissioning LIN and the Integrated Care Network.

Visit our website:

The objectives of the Housing LIN are to:

  • identify local market information on the supply of housing, care and support services for older and disabled people;
  • access support on developing and implementing regional and local housing with care action plans;
  • obtain advice on public and private sector capital and revenue streams to inform business investment decisions;
  • disseminate guidance on the DH's Extra Care Housing fund and grant allocation arrangements;
  • facilitate the adaptation of good practice to local settings;
  • support successful applicants with the development process and share their learning with unsuccessful applicants;
  • access knowledge management tools to support practice development and service improvement.
  • secure funding to research, test and evaluate new and innovative models of housing with care solutions support;
  • offer training and consultancy resources to support service development and change management processes;
  • convene regional LIN meetings to identify and share what works.

Who uses the Housing LIN?

The Housing LIN's regional and national work streams bring together groups of health, social care and housing commissioners and senior managers in the public, private and voluntary sectors involved in the planning, commissioning, development and delivery of housing, care and support solutions for older and vulnerable people.

The activities of the Network include:

  • thematic workshops, seminars and conferences;
  • regional and local learning sessions with experts;
  • a comprehensive on-line knowledge resource to access and share information;
  • commissioning specific research and initiatives to support innovation or improve understanding of how Extra Care can build capacity within housing and care economies;
  • capturing evidence of good practice and case studies;
  • dissemination of key findings, initiatives and projects;
  • a virtual network to facilitate information exchange, discussion and support.

At both a strategic and operational level there is a strong case for closer partnership working in local housing, health and social care economies. The link between housing, health inequalities and social exclusion can have a profound effect on the health and well-being of older and vulnerable people. Tackling these issues requires a vision for developing healthy and sustainable communities that:

  • supports independent living
  • prevents a move into care
  • reduces hospital admissions
  • improves the quality of housing provision
  • enhances the choice and access to services
  • establishes innovative housing with care solutions
  • forges new links across the sectors
  • involves local communities

On our website you can

  • become a member of the Housing, Learning and Improvement Network
  • find out about our members, the details of our activities and a rich documentation on the links between housing, health and social care - information on the Department of Health’s extra care housing and housing-based models of care
  • research relevant publications and websites, good practice studies, past and future events, etc.
  • consult the Extra Care Locator, a live database of housing and care homes for older people in the UK
  • read, download or order your copies of our factsheets and of examples of our reports, toolkits and multi-media resources:

    Assessing health risks and health inequalities in housing: a toolkit – how to assess the impact of the status of someone's health and the likely consequences for housing

    DVD/CD-ROM Healthy homes, healthy lives - a multi-media training pack for housing, health and social care professionals produced by Care & Repair England for CSIP

    A directory of housing and support services in Scotland - through CSIP's partnership with EAC, access information on housing, care and support services in Scotland at

Getting in touch

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