Lewisham Park Housing Association (LPHA) originally known as St Mauritius Housing Association, was established in 1984 to provide sheltered housing for London's growing number of African-Caribbean elders whose needs were not being met by more traditional established housing associations.

The Association carried out a study to establish the demographic spread of the ethnic minority older population throughout London and the extent of housing need and disadvantage. One of the boroughs identified was the London borough Lewisham. Finding strong support for a sheltered housing scheme from Lewisham Council, The Community Relations Council, Hyde Housing Association and local voluntary organisations and community groups, LPHA proceeded in partnership with Hyde Housing Group to develop a sheltered housing complex which not only provided units of accommodation but a range of support facilities and services.

Central to the offering were communal facilities which were to include: central lounges one for tenants and one open to the wider local elderly community; hairdressing facilities, a clinic where visiting doctors, dentists, chiropodists, optician and other health care workers could carryout there consultations, personal examinations and assessments. In addition a guest suite was to be provided to enable relatives and friends from afar to stay in close proximity.

The provision of integrated support facilities is now commonplace however in the early eighties, a time when the whole issue of care in the community was in its infancy and attracted heated discussion and debate. At a time when services were routinely fragmented this offering was ahead of its time.

Lewisham Park Housing Association continues to innovate with a plan to not only broaden its service offering but to achieve its objective of becoming a Registered Social Landlord.