New care homes are set to be built for older and disabled residents after the borough was awarded nearly £1m in funding from the Mayor of London’s office.

Stansgate Road in Dagenham has been given £805,000 to rebuild or improve 23 supported homes while Margaret Bondfield Avenue in Barking will receive £105,000 to build three new homes.

Supported housing complexes, which help elderly and disabled people to live independently and be part of their local community with supervision nearby, were invited to apply for a grant from the Mayor’s Care and Supported Housing Care Fund from October last year.

The scheme, run in partnership with the Department of Health, is designed to spark growth in the specialised housing market by handing out nearly £30m worth of funding to build 669 purpose-built homes on 35 new developments across London.

Announcing the winning developments today, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “As we know, most people want to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible, and as the population ages, more and more of us will need housing that supports us.

“I’m glad to be helping to fund over 660 homes in London for people that are tailored to their needs and will support them to carry on life for as long as possible without the need of going into a care home.”

According to the Mayor’s London Plan, each home built under the Fund will be designed with very few or no stairs, cupboards at reachable height for wheelchair users, adapted accessible bathrooms, and handrails throughout the property.

The bidding process was the first phase of the Care and Supported Housing Care Fund scheme and developers will be invited to submit design plans for the new homes by the end of the summer.