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The UK’s housing crisis is not just about homes; it’s about community, connection, and belonging. The New York Times article highlights the urgent need for new towns that prioritise both affordable housing and social infrastructure. At the Belonging Forum, we understand that homes are more than just physical spaces—they’re one of the foundations of our sense of belonging. As we explore solutions to the housing crisis, let’s ensure we’re building communities that foster connection, well-being, and inclusion for everyone. Read the full article for insights on how we can create more inclusive and connected communities: https://lnkd.in/eserpeWa #HousingCrisis #Belonging #Community

The UK’s housing crisis is not just about homes; it’s about community, connection, and belonging. This The New York Times article highlights the urgent need for new towns that prioritise both affordable housing and social infrastructure. At the Belonging Forum, we understand that homes are more than just physical spaces—they’re one of the foundations of our sense of belonging. As we explore solutions to the housing crisis, let’s ensure we’re building communities that foster connection, well-being, and inclusion for everyone. Read the full article for insights on how we can create more inclusive and connected communities: https://lnkd.in/eserpeWa #HousingCrisis #Belonging #Community

“Without the changes YMCA is calling for we will continue to see the gap grow, issues increase and ultimately, a continuation of the housing crisis plaguing our communities.” Richard James, CEO of YMCA St Paul's Group speaking to Evening Standard about YMCA's recently released 'Unlocking Affordable Homes' report. The report highlights the inadequacies of current funding models, many of which tend to affect smaller organisations such as local YMCAs more significantly, as well as issues such as the fact that organisations usually have to rely on existing land and buildings to develop new housing projects. To address these many barriers to building, the report makes six recommendations aimed at fast-tracking planning and funding so that organisations can deliver at the scale and pace needed to tackle the housing crisis. These recommendations include upfront funding for land acquisition, increased support for planning departments, and a review of Homes England’s application processes and funding requirements to better accommodate smaller providers. "Addressing the housing crisis with affordable homes requires a concerted effort from all sectors of society," said Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England and Wales. Read the full article now 🗞️ https://bit.ly/4cvqkvn

Brilliant to join Clare Norton and her team at Peter Bedford Housing Association at the Kingsland Hub in Hackney today to meet with Dame Meg Hillier MP. The Peter Bedford team highlighted brilliantly the role supported housing providers have in a community and the difference they make to people’s lives. But there are challenges to building more social and supported housing homes like the ones Peter Bedford provide, and ensuring these services are sustainable. We need a long term #PlanforHousing to meet housing need, build more social homes and provide more long-term certainty for housing providers. Today we discussed: 🏚 Pressing need for funding to keep vital supporting housing services and employment and skills training going 🏠 The urgent and acute housing need in this part of London and how building more social homes is only long-term solution 🏠 The need for investment in existing homes - for building and fire safety and to ensure residents have warm and decent homes. 🏠 How Peter Bedford Housing Association, the National Housing Federation can help raise these issues with politicians. Thank you to the team at Peter Bedford for hosting the meeting today, and to Meg Hillier MP for showing her support for the National Housing Federation campaign for a #PlanforHousing to end the housing crisis.

Dyma'r math o gynllun tai lleol dan arweiniad y gymuned dylem fod yn ei efelychu ar draws Cymru Cymunedoli Cyf Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg This is the type of community-led local needs housing scheme we should be replicating across Wales. #sustainabledevelopment #socialenterprise #foundationaleconomy

Plenty of thought-provoking sessions at The Housing Forum National Conference yesterday. In anticipation of next week's budget, an important theme was the need for the progressive policies being introduced for improvements in decarbonisation, housing delivery and temporary accommodation to be underpinned by robust funding if they are to have an enduring impact. An important session on cross-sector solutions to the temporary accommodation and the homelessness crisis brought into focus the sharp end of the emergency we are facing, with one in 50 Londoners currently presenting as homeless - on average that's one child in every classroom. More social housing delivery is a proposed solution, which the National Housing Federation estimates could also have a net contribution of £51.2bn to the UK economy over the next 30 years. On the legal side, the 'Promoting partnerships' panel discussion was particularly insightful, with interesting discussions around the tailored approach being adopted in partnership working - and the need for legal arrangements to provide flexibility for partnerships in all their forms. #TrowersHousing

👥 “Everything we deliver in the community for the community is driven by what local people tell us they need.”     Over the last 10 years, Back on the Map in Sunderland has supported residents to develop local services, activities and opportunities in direct response to the challenges they are facing.      Everything that they deliver in the community is driven by what local residents say they need.      🏘️ One of their first priorities was to bring empty and run down private rented homes in the area back into use, and to turn them into decent, affordable and secure homes for residents in housing need.     The film below shows the transformative changes that wrap around support has had on local residents’ lives. Wrap around support includes:      - peer support   - activities that focus on supporting well-being   - learning something new or support with financial or housing matters. 📢 The message from Back On The Map is that the problem of hardship in neighbourhoods has been decades in the making. A long-term cross-party commitment from national and local government to tackle it, that gives communities like Hendon the tools to protect each other from hardship, not sticking plasters, is desperately needed.      This is the second film in our series giving voice to organisations that are working in innovative ways to protect people from hardship in their communities.

Excellent explainer on the important role of co-op housing and how the Community Land Trust is supporting this affordable, community-centred housing solution! https://ow.ly/3ugo50QBj0c

From Article... We have to move beyond the narrow, almost futile task of making affordable housing and start working on the broader and more meaningful effort of making housing affordable. https://lnkd.in/ga3UwzBD

Whenever anyone says that we don't need to build more, we just need to use our current housing stock better, this is the reality. In a system where there aren't enough homes, social security is constrained and council finance is (politely) perilous, the only moveable part of the system is people. It shouldn't be the case that it's easier to uproot families and send them hundreds of miles away from family, friends, school and work than it is to build enough homes to house people where they need to be - but that's the reality of the current system. The long-term failure to invest in social & affordable housing and to recognise place as the key driver of a good life has led us here. The hope is that a new government recognises the scale of the challenge, and that it requires whole system thinking about the interface between place and people to make genuine progress. https://lnkd.in/euACWAcc