About ShelterFind
Making later-life housing easier to find and understand
We help people explore housing options, compare useful facts and see where information comes from.
An independent UK housing directory for older people and those helping them.
Why we exist
ShelterFind started with a passion for caring and a simple belief: finding suitable housing should feel less confusing and more human.
Some people research for themselves. More often, a relative or friend is helping during a difficult transition — juggling information spread across providers, regulators, councils and older websites that rarely describe things the same way.
Our role is to organise and explain that information, not to make the decision for anyone. The directory has been doing this work since 2007, and the belief behind it has not changed.
What we help people do
Find a place to start
Search by location and housing type to see what exists nearby — sheltered schemes, extra-care housing and retirement developments, described in consistent terms.
Understand the differences
Plain-English guides and definitions explain how the options differ, what the jargon means, and which questions are worth asking before visiting anywhere.
Check the detail
Listings show the facts we hold, where important information came from, and when it was last checked — including honest unknowns where something is not confirmed.
How the directory works
Technology helps us organise and check information. People remain responsible for what is published.
Gather
Bring together approved public, provider, regulator and legacy information.
Structure
Organise inconsistent details into fields people can compare.
Check
Automated checks identify duplicates, missing information, conflicting facts and records needing review.
Publish clearly
Show approved information, sources, dates and honest unknown states.
Improve
Review provider updates and reports of incorrect information through the correction process.
Automated checks help flag problems, but they never prove that a property is suitable, available, safe or legally compliant.
From a caring idea to a clearer housing directory
2007
Completed
The directory begins
Sheltered Accommodation begins from a passion for caring and a desire to make housing information easier for older people and their families to find.
The years between
Completed
The directory grows
Over time the site builds an archive of housing listings, care explanations, glossary definitions and guidance — gathered from providers, regulators, councils and older public sources.
Now
Current work
Building ShelterFind
The current work: clearer templates, structured information that can be compared, visible sources and dates, accessibility improvements, and better routes for correcting information.
Next
What we are working toward
More useful ways to plan
What we are working toward: saving and comparing options, provider participation, and richer data. These are intentions, not available features.
What people can expect
- Plain language
- We explain housing terms without unnecessary jargon. Glossary
- Visible sources
- We show where important information came from when available.
- Honest unknowns
- We use “Not confirmed” instead of guessing.
- Dates that matter
- We show when time-sensitive information was checked or reviewed.
- Correctable information
- We provide a reviewable way to report errors. Contact us
- Accessible by design
- The site is designed to support readable type, keyboard use, zoom, print and clear controls. Accessibility
- Commercial transparency
- Paid content is labelled “Sponsored” and kept visually distinct from housing facts.
What ShelterFind is — and is not
- ShelterFind is a directory and information service — not a housing provider, regulator, council or care assessor.
- A listing appearing here does not guarantee availability, eligibility, suitability or endorsement.
- Provider-supplied, regulator-sourced, editorial, user-reported and sponsored information is labelled according to its source.
- Important decisions should always be confirmed with the relevant provider or authority.
The people behind the work
ShelterFind combines directory, editorial, design, data and housing research work to make complex information more useful.
