Get communities to build their own homes

Locality, the national network of community-led organisations, and NALC are urging local (parish and town) councils to help tackle the housing crisis by encouraging communities to build their own homes.

A new scheme, called the Early Stage Support Programme, has been launched by Locality using funding from the Nationwide Foundation and will help 22 groups start up their own community-led housing projects to provide affordable, decent homes for local people.

Community-led housing is largely overlooked as a solution to the crisis but people can take the matter into their own hands by building affordable small scale developments which suit their needs and the needs of their community like some local councils have already done.

Locality is helping groups take their first steps on the path to creating homes for their own neighbourhoods and NALC is urging local councils in England to encourage community groups to apply for the grant programme.

Cllr Ken Browse, chair of NALC, said: “Communities and local councils have the powers to make a real difference in their local places. This new programme will help groups at the early stage of setting up their projects and will support 22 groups to get started in building homes for their communities.”

Locality will use the skills and expertise gathered by groups already operating in the field, build on existing successes and pave the way for other groups to follow.