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Odu-Dua Housing Association & Temporary Social Housing Grant

Odu-Dua is a small black & minority ethnic housing association, set up in 1985 specifically to meet the housing needs of young black people in Camden. It started out using borrowed properties from various bodies and in 1990 acquired its first permanent property. It now works in the London boroughs of Camden, Brent & Barnet and manages and owns over 180 properties.

The association has recently used Temporary Social Housing Grant (TSHG) to transform four of the properties that they have been leasing from Camden into large family homes.

Why did Odu-Dua use TSHG?

Odu-Dua’s roots are in providing shared housing for young black individuals in traditional short-life housing. However, with the passage of time the needs of their tenants have changed and many of the  short life properties which the association have been using are in need of refurbishment.

This applied to the four properties leased from Camden and in 2006 Odu-Dua decided to try and get hold of some TSHG in order to refurbish them in order to provide family accommodation.

How Odu-Dua get hold of TSHG?

At the time Odu-Dua couldn’t claim TSHG directly from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and so it partnered with a local housing association Christian Action (Enfield) Housing Association.

Christian Action was able to claim TSHG on behalf of Odu-Dua, via the North River Alliance development partnership, of which it was a member.

What did the grant pay for?

The four properties were street properties which were large single dwellings which Odu-Dua to provide bed-sit accommodation with shared facilities to accommodate 21 people.

TSHG has enabled Odu-Dua to remodel the properties to provide predominantly family housing. The units are now configured as 1 x 6 bed roomed house, 1 x 4 bed roomed house, 1 x 3 bed roomed house, as well as 1 x 2 bedroom and 1 x 1 bedroom flat. The grant covered both the cost of works and the on-costs associated with undertaking the work.

The remodelling met the needs of both Odu-Dua’s tenants and the local authority, each of whom wanted larger units..

What next?

Odu-Dua has 15 year leases on the properties from Camden Council. The families that currently occupy the properties do so, on assured short hold tenancies. At the end of the15year leases, Odu-Dua will need to discuss the future of the properties with Camden Council. It may be that this provides a useful opportunity for Camden, Odu-Dua and the tenants themselves to consider their changing needs.

More information

For more information on Odu-Dua’s work, contact Lara Oyedele on 020 7625 1799 or email loyedele@odudua.org

For more information on TSHG look at A Guide To Temporary Social Housing Grant elsewhere on the site.

January 2010