Between 2008 and 2018 EAC led on the creation of FirstStop Advice, an initiative to link and support ‘housing options’ advice services for older people across England.
FirstStop was funded by The Housing Corporation, Department of Health, The Big Lottery, Help the Aged, and ultimately the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Our partners in the venture included national older people’s organisations Age UK, Care & Repair England, Foundations and Independent Age, alongside 28 local charities and authorities.
During that period many innovative services were seed-funded, a raft of FirstStop I&A materials produced, and several independent evaluations of the initiative commissioned. Although no longer maintained, the FirstStop website remains as a valuable source of information for any organisation looking to develop housing options advice services today. A marketing brochure from 2014, Live safely and well at home, presents a picture of how FirstStop worked and who was involved.
