The value of supported housing has been highlighted ahead of Starts at Home Day after equipment provided by a social landlord may have saved the life of one of its residents.

Thanks to an alert pendant provided by Trent & Dove in one of its independent living schemes, Gill Stride, 80, contacted a 24-hour call system, which immediately summoned paramedics to her self-contained apartment in Burton upon Trent.

Mrs Stride, who lives alone, said: “It was a life-or-death situation for me when I had struggled with pain from my cancer during the night.

“I pressed my alert pendant for a warden, and the ambulance immediately arrived. They said if it had been 10 minutes longer, I may have died

“The pendant gives you peace of mind that there is always someone around if the worst should happen.”

Each resident wears an alert pendant either around their neck or the wrist. Pull cords are also fitted in the flats and communal areas connected to the warden call system. The call goes to a personal alarm service that provides 24-hour support and to an on-site manager.

National Starts at Home Day, scheduled for tomorrow (30 August) shines a light on the work housing associations do to provide crucial care and support to residents, help people live independent and happy lives and build thriving communities.

Recent research from the National Housing Federation shows that were it not for supported housing, 41,000 more people would be homeless, with a further 30,000 people at risk of homelessness. With the Department for Health and Social Care predicting that demand for supported homes in England will increase by 125,000 by 2030, this lack of supply is already being felt across systems.