The Nationwide Foundation is awarding over £1m to support the growth of community-led housing
Six organisations will use the funding to provide support and advice to community-led housing groups.
The Nationwide Foundation recognises that, while there is a growing interest in community-led housing and more communities are preparing to turn this into a reality, there is a desperate lack of support which can stall or even halt promising and much-needed projects.
Those organisations funded by the Nationwide Foundation will be offering the information, support, advice and technical expertise that is needed to advance these schemes.
The focus will be on ensuring that community groups can effectively and effortlessly deliver homes that are both decent and affordable and meet the needs of their communities.
Community-led housing allows groups to build affordable, good quality homes in their own communities, in places where they are required and are for people who really need them.
They are often in areas where housing prices are high and many of the existing properties are second homes.
In December, Alok Sharma MP, then the Housing and Planning Minister, announced that the government was making available funding in England for the second year of the Community Housing Fund.
This investment was much hoped-for in the community-led housing sector and, consequently, adds strength to the sector.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Government’s support of community-led housing has been given a substantial boost with support from the Rural Housing Fund.
It is with this growing demand in mind, that the Nationwide Foundation has given significant funding.
Of the six projects receiving funding from the Nationwide Foundation, two are providing support across England to help the community-led housing sector to grow, by standardising provision and ensuring a wider reach.
The Nationwide Foundation’s chief executive, Leigh Pearce, said: “We envisage a future where community-led housing is thriving and where many more people, especially those in housing need, are living in homes that have been created by the community.
“Yet, we know that the availability of help can make or break whether a much-needed scheme can get off the ground.
“We want to ensure that community groups wanting to deliver community-led housing can realise their vision and ultimately enable local people to establish settled lives, close to family and employment.”
