It was the warm July evening of London Pride last year when we received the news that Tonic Housing is now officially the UK’s first LGBTQ+ registered provider of social housing.
After four years of dedicated hard work to reach this goal, we unintentionally had the perfect celebration lined up.
Tonic secured a £5.7 million loan in the spring of 2021, from the Mayor of London, to enable the purchase of 19 apartments at Bankhouse, a riverside extra-care retirement scheme in Vauxhall, south London.
Sales of one- and two-bedroom shared-ownership homes began in summer 2021 and affordable rentals were launched in autumn 2024.
We are now fully occupied at Tonic@Bankhouse, with 17 shared-ownership apartments sold, enabling us to pay back the Greater London Authority loan in full. The remaining two homes have been let to older LGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness.
Originally provided through a partnership with housing association Riverside, these tenancies are now held directly by Tonic – a UK first for an LGBTQ+ housing provider and a sign of what’s to come.
Tonic has created a unique offering of housing with care that celebrates LGBTQ+ identities, with the community at the very heart of their homes, so no-one else has to go back in the closet as they get older.
We co-create events and activities with residents based on their interests, including collaborations with other LGBTQ+ organisations and support providers.
We offer accommodation and safe social spaces where older LGBTQ+ people are supported, gain life-affirming social connections and access culturally appropriate services.
We are driven by the demand of older LGBTQ+ people for better choices in housing, support and care, recognising that ‘a one-size-fits-all’ approach does not meet the needs of diverse communities.
As a registered provider, Tonic can now expand its impact by directly delivering social and affordable homes, and accessing new development, investment and partnership opportunities.
This status is a springboard for growth, enabling Tonic to meet the urgent and growing demand for housing that affirms and supports older LGBTQ+ people across the UK, especially those from intersectional marginalised backgrounds.
Tonic’s expansion comes at a critical moment.
Our ‘Precarious lives’ report, published last year, revealed the severe financial hardship, isolation and health inequalities facing older LGBTQ+ people in London – challenging the myth of the ‘affluent gay retiree’. With high rates of poverty, disability and limited support networks, the need for LGBTQ+ affirming, affordable housing is clear.
Becoming a registered provider enables Tonic to meet this need at scale, delivering homes that offer not just safety, but dignity and belonging.
Our vision is bold: a future where LGBTQ+ affirming housing is no longer the exception, but a normal part of communities across the country.
- To find out more, please visit Tonic Housing website. Terry Stacy is also Head of the LGA’s Liberal Democrat Group Office