Community-led housing programme launches in Brighton & Hove on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, 5.30 – 9pm (registration from 5:15pm).
Community-led housing allows local people to take control of their housing and create alternatives to the limited choices offered by the current housing market.
The new Brighton & Hove Community-Led Housing Programme supports groups of people to come together and organise, or build, their own affordable homes. Applications are open for financial support and free advice to help make people’s ideas a reality.
The Programme is run by Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust and supported by Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC), through the Department of Communities & Local Government’s Community Housing Fund.
Community-led housing projects already underway in Brighton & Hove include housing co-operatives, cohousing projects and self-build projects.
At the event there will be the opportunity to:
♦ Find out more about community-led housing.
♦ Hear about exciting examples of community-led housing in Brighton & Hove.
♦ Meet people who want to start their own affordable housing projects.
♦ Find out more about Housing Ourselves grants of between £1,000 and up to £50,000 available to housing groups.
♦ Learn about how the programme can connect you with experts, or how your expertise could be useful to a community-led housing group.
“It is an exciting year for community-led housing in the city,” says BHCLT Community-led Housing Programme Manager, Andrea Jones. “There are already some great projects across the city and this Programme will help more people to create genuinely affordable housing solutions for themselves.”
“Too often people in the city feel like they have no control over their housing, particularly when rents and house prices are so high. Community-led housing is a chance for people to both solve their housing problems, and build a sense of community through working together.”
BHCLT community-led housing programme includes:
♦ Housing Ourselves: Financial support through loans or grants to housing groups of between £1,000 and up to £50,000.
♦ Discovering suitable land and properties and helping groups acquire them for housing projects.
♦ Connecting local people who want to start their own housing projects and providing them with expertise and support.
♦ Raising awareness and building knowledge about housing with local people, the council and others who work in housing.
Councillor Anne Meadows, chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Housing and New Homes Committee, said: “There is a huge demand for housing in the city, with the supply of affordable housing not keeping pace with demand. We’re looking at every option to help provide more affordable homes for the city, and the community-led housing programme is something we’re very keen to support.”
Community-led housing is good for Brighton & Hove because:
♦ It provides additional affordable and stable housing to those in need.
♦ It creates and demonstrates alternative ways of living which have a positive impact on wellbeing.
♦ It helps local people develop new skills as they make their projects a reality.
♦ It encourages collaboration and co-operative between local people and involves them in decisions about new housing.
♦ People have more say in how their homes are developed and managed.
♦ It creates an opportunity to make use of empty buildings and vacant land, revitalising communities.
BHCLT is working with Co-operative Housing in Brighton & Hove (CHIBAH) and Mutual Aid In Sussex (MAIS) to deliver the Community-led Housing programme.
The event is free entry and food will be provided. People are asked to sign up via Eventbrite if they would like to attend.
For more information, including learning more about existing community-led housing projects in Brighton & Hove contact Amy Hall, Communications Officer with BHCLT on 07950808190 or email: comms@bhclt.org.uk
Event: Brighton & Hove community-led housing programme launch event
Where: Auditorium, Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD
When: Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Time: 5.30pm – 9pm
Cost: Free
To register online, click here: