A NEW Church of England development agency and “national capability team” have been launched by the Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, to enable dioceses to supply “top quality reasonably priced housing” inside their communities.
The two bodies, funded by the Archbishops’ Council, are the culmination of years of labor on the recommendations of the report Coming Home, published by the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing in 2021.
The report described as “a national scandal” the indisputable fact that eight million people in England were living in overcrowded, unaffordable, or unsuitable homes (News, 26 February 2021). It beneficial that the Church form partnerships with housing associations and native authorities to assist to supply reasonably priced housing on a few of the Church’s 200,000 acres of land.
The Church Housing Association (CHA) was proposed a yr later (News, 27 May 2022).
The latest Church Development Agency (CDA), knowledgeable company owned by the Archbishops’ Council, will work with the CHA to develop reasonably priced housing in “difficult areas of high need”.
Alongside this, a latest national team is being formed throughout the Church’s Faith and Public Life team to support dioceses in identifying and mapping future opportunities for housing programmes.
Dr Francis-Dehqani, who’s the lead bishop for housing, made the announcement before visiting communities and housing projects in Birmingham on Tuesday.
“If the Church of England is to place our vision for good homes and thriving communities into practice, we want to have the organisational infrastructure in place to deliver in complex circumstances,” she said. “That has been my priority over the past two years, and I’m pleased to find a way to report significant progress today.”
In the summer, the CDA appointed Dan Mayes MRICS as its first chief executive. He has began work on pilot projects across the dioceses of Birmingham and Gloucester to deliver latest reasonably priced homes for rent for local families. The pilot, projected to cost £2.6 million over three years, is being funded each by diocesan grants and a £1.7 million grant from the charity Oak Foundation.
This funding doesn’t include constructing or purchase costs of social housing, which, the Church Times understands, are be met from standard sources akin to Homes England grants for social houses, secured finance, and using land assets — to be confirmed.
Mr Mayes said on Tuesday that putting dioceses, churches, and communities on the centre of this vision “means a really different start line compared with other developments. Working together we will unlock the best sites in the best places that can make a difference.
“Our challenge at this stage shouldn’t be only finding the sites, but ensuring we now have the best combination of community engagement and investment to completely deliver for those in need. Bishop Guli’s visit today to fulfill our partners and civic leaders will help us to make further progress on all fronts.”
The latest national capability team, with the CDA, will support dioceses in identifying good opportunities for housing development, and supply advice on church-led projects. The Archbishops’ Council has allocated £4.25 million over five years for central resources for these two bodies.
The director of Faith and Public Life for the Archbishops’ Council, Canon Malcolm Brown, said: “Collectively we now have learned an ideal deal from pilot areas akin to Birmingham. We understand how vital it’s to support dioceses in mapping their land and understanding what is likely to be possible, so that’s what we’re putting in.
“Our latest team has substantial experience in supporting church organisations as they step into latest housing programmes. We can provide a level of support, and link dioceses and churches with further support that their unique circumstances may require. This is just the beginning of our plans, with more to are available in 2025.”
Dr Francis-Dehqani said that the progress made on the Coming Home report and its recommendations had been “hard-won”. More necessary, though, than the “substantial investment and capability” now in place was the Church’s “refreshed commitment to meeting housing need as integral to our mission and ministry. We are actively putting this into practice.”
