Tonic’s journey with Commonweal

In the lead-up to Commonweal's 20th anniversary in 2026, we are sharing accounts that demonstrate the impact of Commonweal's support. In this blog, Bob Green OBE, Head of Operations at Tonic Housing, recounts their quest to address the housing needs of older LGBT+ individuals.

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Tonic Housing opened the UK’s first community-led LGBT+ Retirement Community in London in 2021. This could not have happened without Commonweal Housing’s support over the past decade.

In 2005, when I became the CEO of Stonewall Housing, the LGBT+ advice and support charity, I formed a national Older LGBT+ Housing Group. We looked in envy at other countries that had created their own LGBT+ retirement communities, where residents were safe and celebrated.

In 2015, Commonweal Housing funded a feasibility study to look at housing options for older LGBT+ people. Beyond funding the study, they agreed to join the advisory group and provided invaluable expertise and support throughout the year-long process.

The original plan was to complete a large-scale survey. However, after speaking to those involved in similar schemes in the USA, it was clear that the short feasibility study should focus on collecting the views of experts in housing and care as well as older people themselves to agree priorities and start a wider conversation.

The feasibility study ‘Building Safe Choices’ concluded that older LGBT+ people wanted choice. They needed specialist units, but also valued shared housing and naturally occurring retirement communities. Additionally, it became clear that housing could not be viewed without considering care and support; and information, advice and advocacy for older LGBT+ people themselves.

The aim was for Building Safe Choices to open a space for ongoing discussions. Therefore, we created an online forum for people to share ideas. This led to Stonewall Housing, Tonic Housing and Opening Doors approaching Commonweal Housing once more in 2019 to progress the idea and develop the initial research.

Again Commonweal Housing’s support was not simply financial: they also supported us through the life of the study, including when plans changed after outreach work was cut short by the pandemic lockdown. Commonweal Housing also helped with promoting the findings of the report.

Building Safe Choices 2020 was based on the largest study of older LGBT+ people in London, with 624 responders. We also conducted focus groups with participants to collect in-depth evidence on what housing and care they wanted and what they could afford.

The report concluded that it was vital to create safe and inclusive spaces for LGBT+ individuals in later life and mainstream housing and care should promote dignity, respect, and security for LGBT+ older people.

 Thanks to the knowledge gained through both iterations of Building Safe Choices, Tonic secured a loan from the Greater London Authority’s Community Housing Fund to purchase apartments in an extra care scheme. Then we opened ‘Bankhouse’, the UK’s first LGBT+ retirement community. Commonweal’s continued support was instrumental in the lead up to this moment.

The study continued to have a life after the publication of the London-based report. LGBT Foundation – a national health and wellbeing charity – used our survey as a basis for their own questionnaire in 2020, ahead of the plans to develop an LGBT+ Extra Care Scheme in Manchester.

Now in 2025, Tonic’s Bankhouse scheme is fully occupied, with 26 residents living in shared ownership and affordable rent apartments. The dream a decade ago of having an LGBT+ retirement community is now a reality, and Commonweal Housing played no small part on the road to achieving that dream.

We have valued Commonweal Housing’s perspective: They understood that we were trying something innovative and were flexible in their approach.