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Canopy Housing Project - Leeds
Origins
Canopy is a self-help, community housing project based in inner city Leeds which was founded in 1998. It renovates derelict and empty houses to create decent homes for people that are homeless.
Through its practical work Canopy brings together lots of volunteers from the local community to learn skills, increase confidence, break down barriers and make big improvements to local neighbourhoods. Volunteers come together and help new tenants to paint, decorate and furnish their new home. 
Canopy’s work is about bringing people together, changing lives and tapping into the potential, within individuals, and within communities and neighbourhoods.
Property/Environment
Canopy manages around 40 homes in the Beeston, Burley and Harehills and has 8 members of staff. Most properties are Victorian terraced houses and Leeds city council have recently agreed to lease properties on a peppercorn rent for 25 years.
Empty and derelict houses blight an area and can become sites for vandalism and rubbish dumping. Renovating a derelict property has an uplifting effect on the neighbourhood and positively impacts on both residents and local businesses. All this contributes to a better quality of environment.
Tenants
Canopy provides a ’self-help’ housing opportunity for people that are homeless, which means they have the opportunity to participate in the renovation and decorating of their new home alongside the volunteers and can choose how they would like their house to look prior to moving in.
Volunteering
Canopy’s volunteers are an enthusiastic, interesting and diverse group of people from the local community and local schools and they learn to do the practical work to renovate the houses, including light building work, plastering, painting, decorating, carpeting and tiling. Volunteers can also receive support from Canopy to help find training and work.
Over the last 10 years Canopy has worked with over 400 volunteers. Last year Canopy involved 67 volunteers with around 6 people a day working on 2 sites.
Community
Canopy brings together many individuals from different communities in the local area, including people from different age groups and with differing abilities. DIY and building skills are valuable and many people from different backgrounds are keen to work together and learn from each other’s experiences and skills.
Canopy pulls different strands of the community together and overcome ignorance and prejudice. Canopy has a local office base within five minutes walk of each group of properties and offers this space for volunteers, tenants and local residents, as a place to meet and have access to resources and support from Canopy staff.
Partnerships
Canopy has developed invaluable partnerships with local housing providers and the local authority and has negotiated lease arrangements on each of the properties, allowing them work together to overcome the problems caused by empty and derelict housing.
East North East Homes Leeds have recently supported Canopy with 10 new properties and Aire Valley Homes Leeds and housing associations such as Unity Housing and Leeds Federated Housing have also supported Canopy.
Funding
Canopy’s annual turnover is around £300k and it relies on funds raised from charitable sources to maintain its operations, together with its income from rents. Numerous charitable trusts and grant giving bodies have generously supported their work over the years, both in relation to core costs and ongoing projects. Self-generated income from the rent from the properties brought back into use is also very important source of regular income.
Contact:
Tel - 0113 294 6868
For photos, film and more information on Canopy go to
