Almshouse Association

The Almshouse Association represents more than 1700 almshouse charities who serve as homes for as many as 35,000 people, many of whom are of retirement age, and is a charity itself. The association advises and assists almshouses in continuing to provide excellent quality housing, ensuring residents’ good care and in the keeping of the historic tradition, of providing shelter and support for those who need it. A current issue they face is the updating of dwellings to modern standards while keeping the buildings traditional character which is often more costly than building a new property. Also although the residents contribute to their living costs it is a rate much lower than the average rent amount.