The Church of England has unveiled a latest £3.2 million grant scheme to support parishes and dioceses in developing reasonably priced housing projects on church-owned land.
Aimed at tackling the continuing housing crisis, the initiative offers churches funding capped at £25,000 for expert advice on architectural, consultancy, and planning services obligatory to bring the housing proposals to life.
The scheme is a component of a broader £4.25 million initiative spread over five years, designed to assist churches repurpose underused or surplus land—reminiscent of outdated parish halls or vacant automotive parks—into housing that serves community needs.
The project builds on the recommendations of the 2021 Coming Home report by the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community, which urged the Church of England to model the best way in responding to the national housing emergency.
Director of Faith and Public Life for the Church of England, Richard Sudworth, framed the initiative as a fulfilment of Christian values: “This housing initiative is a straightforward response to a biblical mandate to God’s people towards justice: where a real fast involves bringing the homeless poor into our house (Isaiah 58:7), and where serving Christ demands that we welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:35).”
Beki Winter, who leads the freshly created Church of England Housing Project team and previously worked with Housing Justice, emphasised the untapped potential of church land: “Many parishes have issues with their buildings or property, but don’t all the time realise that these problems might be opportunities to supply some housing.
“There are many creative ways to make use of church land or property to supply housing for people in need, whilst improving community facilities or bolstering parish funds.”
In addition to financial support, the scheme also includes specialist advice for Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) in search of to rethink how their properties may be used to higher support those in biggest need.
A recent example of such transformation may be found at St Martin’s Church in Fulwood, Preston, where a 60-year-old parish hall site was redeveloped right into a low-cost housing complex of 14 units and an eco-conscious parish hub.
Canon Andrea Titterington, Project manager, noted that the hassle met the Church of England’s dual goals of offering “reasonably priced housing” and “community space for fellowship, service and worship.”
Churches fascinated by participating are encouraged to contact the Church of England Housing Project team by email to start exploring how their land might serve a greater purpose in addressing local housing needs.
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