Today, we are proud to launch the
'Helping Communities Build' report, authored by Dr Tom Archer and
Dr Stephen Green. They are both Research Fellows at
Sheffield Hallam University, specialising in housing development, with assistance from Charlie Fisher of the architecture practice
Transition by Design.
The report, commissioned by CAF Venturesome, is an independent review of the two Community Land Trust funds we have managed since 2008 within the CAF Venturesome team. It explores the increasing role of community led-housing - specifically Community Land Trusts (CLTs) - in tackling the UK’s ongoing crisis.
At CAF Venturesome, we've witnessed first-hand how the schemes empower people, and improve the lives of residents, by offering them access to affordable homes – either on an affordable rental or on a shared ownership basis - in areas they have worked and lived for many years.
Thanks to the support of our funders (the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Nationwide Foundation, the Tudor Trust and individual philanthropists, alongside our own investment) we have been able to offer £4.4m of repayable finance to 33 individual groups since 2008, with 525 affordable homes completed or in the pipeline. The community-led sector is growing fast, with an estimated 5,810 community led homes in the pipeline in England.
While we are passionate about CLTs, we recognise much more could be done with the right stakeholders around the table, providing much needed early stage finance as well as helping groups access affordable lands.
As we enter the final year of our CLT Fund, this report uses expert insight and data research to analyse where community-led housing is heading and what funding and support it needs to grow further. We believe that with the right support, CLTs can play a much more significant role in addressing the UK's housing crisis.
A full copy of the CLT report is available here.
“Community-led housing schemes such as Community Land Trusts must be taken seriously as a vital component in addressing this country’s shortage of housing. With the right support, such as access to affordable land and early stage finance, these schemes can be scaled up to make a real impact on local housing needs.
"The British housing crisis is a complex problem and requires a broad range of solutions if it’s to be fixed. But this is one way to keep up with housing demand and meet the housing needs in communities which otherwise would be damaged by a lack of affordable homes.”
Holly Piper, Head of CAF Venturesome