More than £2.3 million is being invested in housing and care projects in Caerphilly and Carmarthenshire in a bid to help people with care needs live independently for longer.
The funding, provided through the Welsh Government’s Housing with Care Fund, will support new social rented housing with care, including extra-care housing and supported living schemes.
It will also fund community-based intermediate care and accommodation, including step-up and step-down facilities designed to help people avoid unnecessary hospital stays and return home sooner after being admitted.
Siân Gwenllian, Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, said the investment would help people stay close to their families and communities.
“Everyone deserves a home where they can live safely, independently and with dignity, whatever their care needs,” she said.
“This funding will make a real difference to people’s lives, helping them stay in their communities and close to family and friends, instead of being moved away for care they could receive closer to home.”
The Welsh Government said increasing the supply of specialist housing and accommodation could also help ease pressure on hospitals and care homes by supporting people to return home more quickly following hospital treatment.
The five-year Housing with Care Fund is intended to bring housing, health and social care closer together, with people supported in their own homes and communities where possible.
Gwenllian said the investment demonstrated what an integrated approach to housing, health and social care could achieve.
“By investing in housing with care, we are also easing the pressure on our hospitals and care homes, helping more people return home sooner after they’ve been in hospital, and freeing up capacity for those who need it most,” she said.