A NEW £2m fund will be ploughed into providing better homes for the elderly, it has been revealed today.

Cumbria County Council has launched its Extra Care Housing Grant Award scheme, which aims to attract builders and businesses and help make sure housing is fit for the future. The grants programme makes up almost half of the £4.24m the council has set aside in capital funding for extra care housing and supported living accommodation, with the aim of delivering 2,000 more homes across the county by 2025.

Read more: Social care system 'not fit for purpose' say nine out of 10 MPs - survey

Councillor Peter Thornton, cabinet member for health and care services, said:“Cumbrians are proudly independent and want to live in their own homes for a long as possible. Extra Care Housing helps them to achieve this.

“We all hope to live to a ripe old age and our older years should be a time to enjoy a positive and fulfilling life and having your own home is key to achieving this.”

Cllr David Southward, cabinet member for economic development, added: “I hope that many organisations and builders will step forward and show their commitment to working with us to help deliver quality homes for the elderly now and in the future.”

The news comes following an outcry last week over the state of social care in Cumbria and across the country, after older people's charity, Independent Age, revealed nine out of 10 Members of Parliament do not believe the social care system is fit for purpose.

Read more: 'Shambolic' social care system in Cumbria at risk of collapse, say MPs

In response to the charity’s findings, John Woodcock, Barrow and Furness MP, described the services being “at breaking point” while Tim Farron, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP, called them “a shambolic mess”. Speaking at that time, a spokesman for Cumbria County Council said the area's growing ageing population was taken "very seriously" and the council was working hard to implement new measures.

What is Extra Care Housing?

People who live in Extra Care housing have their own self-contained homes - usually with a lounge, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom and access to care staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are also communal facilities and activities available.

For many people, Extra Care housing is the ideal solution as it means that they live in a home of their own, can stay together as a couple even with different levels of need, live as part of a supportive environment, in a location situated in the heart of the local community, but with the added reassurance that help is at hand. Extra Care housing allows people to move out of houses, where they are finding it difficult to cope, into a home where they can be secure and live independently. In some situations Extra Care Housing also allows people to move out of residential care and return to independent living.

Supported Living accommodation also means living in your own home, whether as a homeowner or more often as a tenant. This model may be delivered on a range of scales from supporting an individual in a single property to a number of individuals as part of a Supported Living scheme. Supported Living enables people to move out of a family home or residential care setting into a safe environment with appropriate space and facilities.