NEWS FROM CCHPR

The Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research has been commissioned to undertake an evaluation of the FirstStop information and advice service for older people that is funded partly by Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Big Lottery Fund (BLF). FirstStop is an innovative attempt to provide a centralised I&A service about housing and care issues for older people and their families and carers. Faced with the potential financial burden of housing and caring for an ageing population, the government is keen to kind ways to inform older people about their options and encourage them to take preventative and proactive steps to make provision for their housing before a crisis. The evaluation began in late 2009 and will be completed in 2011. For more information contact Dr Gemma Burgess (glb36@cam.ac.uk).