National Housing Federation appoints new older person’s housing group chair

The National Housing Federation (NHF) has appointed Abdul Ravat, a member of the executive team at Abbeyfield housing charity, as its new older person’s housing group chair.

Ravat will take over the role from Yvonne Castle, chief executive officer of Johnnie Johnson Housing Trust.

Ravat has worked for over nine years as head of development and relationships at Abbeyfield, a charitable provider of older people’s housing.

In his role as head of development and relationships, Ravat is responsible for the delivery of investment programmes and for co-ordinating housing programmes with registered providers, local authorities and developers.

Ravat is also involved in the work of the APPG on Housing and Care for Older People and the organisation is sponsoring the APPG’s latest inquiry into the regeneration of outdated sheltered housing, which focuses on assessing the age, condition and locality of sheltered housing for older people.

>>See also: Removing the barriers to later living development

He previously worked at the Homes & Communities Agency and is currently director of the Johnnie Johnson Housing Board. 

The older person’s housing group is a cross-organisational, expert reference group of social housing providers, which aims to tackle barriers to the development of older people’s housing, with a focus on affordable homes.

The group represents the NHF’s members, who collectively own and manage 262,072 homes for older people.

The NHF currently estimates a 210,000 shortfall in retirement and supported housing homes, which it says could increase to 350,000 by 2045.