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Directory: Existing projects
This is the first ever directory of community driven self- help housing initiatives. It’s been difficult to track everyone down and there are doubtless more projects out there, which we’d like to include. Where any information is missing ( eg names of contacts) this is because we’ve not been able, as yet able, to track it down
The Directory will be regularly updated as more projects become known to us. If you’re not included but would like to be them email us with details jon.fitzmaurice@self-help-housing.org
1. Community Housing Projects
Canopy Housing Project
114 Lady Pit Lane,
Beeston,
Leeds. LS11 6EE
Tel: 0113 294 6868 Info@canopyproject.org
Co-ordinator – Steve Hoey
Set up in 1998, Canopy works closely with the local community and volunteers in renovating empty properties for people in need of housing. Manages around 40 properties. ( see case study for more information)
Latch (Leeds Action To Create Homes)
176 Chapeltown Road
Leeds LS7 4HP
Tel: 01132 374 482 latch@latch.org.uk
Co-ordinator – James Hartley
Set up in 1988, Latch works with volunteers and homeless young people bringing disused and derelict properties back into use. Currently running a construction training project for young people. Manages around 40 homes, some of which they now own.
( See case study for more information)
Shekinah Mission Plymouth
Bath Street
Plmouth PL1 3LT
Tel: 01752 203480 info@shekinahmission.co.uk
Contact: John Hamblin Director
Shekinah supports people who are homeless, have substance misuse issues, are ex-offenders or feel socially excluded. Shekinah offers advice and support, training opportunities, temporary beds for rough sleepers and an outreach service:
2. Housing Co-operatives
Alamo Housing Co-op
43 Hanley Road
London N4 3DU
Tel: 0207 272 3391 info@alamoco-op.org
Housing Manager : Michelle Menzie
Alamo was set up in the early 1990s and manages short life property in Islington, mostly from Islington council. It manages over 100 houses and flats.
BCH ( Brent Community Housing)
13 Lonsdale Road
London NW6 6RA
Tel: 020.7624.3168 info@bch.coop
Manager – Rose Tudor
Set up in 1975, BCH manages several hundred properties from local authorities and housing associations in North London.
Brighton Rock Housing Co-operative
395-399 Kingsway
Hove
East Sussex
BN3 4QE
Tel: 01273 245042
Contact: Txelo Garrido
No Website
Brighton Rock provides housing to single people willing and keen to share the running and development of a short life housing cooperative.
CASH Housing Co-op
Hackney
London
Tel: 07906 187 873
Contact: Tim Baster
No Website
CASH works with Hackney Regeneration Team to identify empty flats on estates undergoing regeneration which could be occupied short-term by their group rather than being boarded up.
Hamwic Housing Co-op
Suite 23 Lowmans House,
80 Portswood Road
Southampton SO17 2FW
Tel: 02380 672 419 hamwichousingcoop@btinternet.com
Secretary: Paul Bontof
Hamwic started housing single people with two shortlife properties in 1983. It now has 57 units of accommodation, which are mostly permanent, but still has some short life.
Mace Housing Co-op
18 Ashwin St.
London E8 3DL
Tel: 020 7254 9560
Housing Manager: Felix Okene
Set up in 1976 to house homeless single people. Now manages around 150 houses in North London. ( see case study for more information).
Middlesex Housing Co-operative
The Market Building
195 High St. Brentford
Middx TW8 8LB
Tel: 0208 568 5949 contact@middlesexhousingcoop.co.uk
Contact: Ron Bartholomew
www.middlesexhousingcoop.co.uk
MHC started in 1980. Properties are mainly short life and located in Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow. However does own some permanent housing .
Phoenix Housing Co-op
Room 9 The Oxford House
Derbyshire Street
Bethnal Green
London E2 6HG
Tel: 0207 033 9539 mail@pehoenixhousingcoop.org
Manager: Alison Masterman
Phoenix Housing Co-op was founded in 1980 and provides a local volunteer-led solution for single homeless people in east London. They now own some properties, but continue to manage 120 units of housing from local housing associations and a local housing company.
Riverlink Housing Co-op
214 Bowes Road
New Southgate
London N11 2JH
Tel: 07967 681 645
Contact: Stephen Mallaburn
Riverlink has been running for around 14 years and manages around 13 houses, which provide accomodation for single, independent people on a shared house basis.
Shepherds Bush Short Life Co-op
4 Twynholm Mansions
Lillie Road
London SW6 7NX
Tel: 07939 863 387
Co-ordinator Dean Loxton
No website
SBSLC is run in conjunction with Shepherds Bush HA and operate as “property guardians” looking after empty SHA properties. Have 15 members and 8 properties at present.
Southsea Self Help Housing Co-operative
57 Lucknow Street
Fratton
Portsmouth P01 1PT
Tel: 02392 870 050
Southsea Self Help Housing was formed in 1976, by a group of homeless people wanting to obtain housing, over which they had some control. They did this by getting hold of some short-life property and working with a local housing association. Currently have around 17 properties.
Westminster Housing Co-op:
2a, The Annexe
5, Woodfield Road
London W9 2BA
Tel: 020 7289 0105
Director: Diane Nestor
www.westminsterhousingcoop.org
Set up in 1980s, WHC has around 400 properties from fourteen housing associations and local authorities in eighteen London boroughs ( see case study for more information) .
Willow Housing Co-operative
20 Grovesnor Road
Norwich NR22
Tel: 07891 803396
Manager: Peter Shaman
www.willowhousing.wordpress.com
Willow is a small housing co-op in Norwich managing short-life housing, with about 25 members.
3. Housing & Training Projects
Advocates For the Homeless:
90 Wyndham Road
London SE5 0UB
Tel: 077792 876888
Contact: Glenn Heaton Glenn.heaton@virgin.net
No website
Advocates For The Homeless use short life housing to run construction training programmes for unemployed home less people. ( See case study for more information)
Community Campus 87
76 Brunswick Street
Stockton -on -Tees TS18 1U
Tel : 01642 357364 info@cc87.couk
Director – Carl Ditchburn
Set up in Middlesborough as a community based housing project to cater for young
people in 1987. Have over 35 properties and provide a wide range of training initiatives and support for young people. ( See case study for more information).
East Cleveland Youth Housing Trust
Riverside Building
New Company Row
Skinningrove
Saltburn TS13 4AU
Tel: 01287 644044 info@ecyhtrust.com
Contact: Steve Stevenson, Project Co-ordinator
ECYHT is a spin off rural housing project originally set up by Community Campus in 1998. It is a local solution to some of the training and housing issues that face young people and provides young people (16-25) who are in housing need with the opportunity to rent a quality but affordable home in their local area.
Harrogate Youthbuild Trust
Harrogate
Tel: 01423 556 946
Contact: Jo Kilburn
No Website
A partnership between Harrogate Borough Council, Accent Group, Harrogate College, National Housing Federation (North) and the Golden Triangle Partnership. The project . has developed three empty homes with the work being carried out by ex-drug users who have become tenants.
Project John
20 Bath St
Barrow In Furness
Cumbria LA 14 1NE
Tel: 01229 832 127 nicola@projectjohn.co.uk
Director: Nicky Kell
The project started off with one property borrowed from the local authority which was renovated by young people to provide training and housing for themselves. Subsequently the project got further properties from the local authority which eventually provided funding for Project John to acquire them. They now own 19 units. They are about to set up a Foyer.
4. Refugee Housing Projects
Afro-Caribbean Housing Association
Day Lewis House
324 Bensham Lane
Thornton Heath CR7 7EQ
Tel: 020 8689 9535
Contact: Erskine Odongo :
ACHA was established in 1990. Most of their properties are acquiredfrom private Landlords under short to long term leases.
Kurdish Housing Association
Selby Centre
Selby Road
London N17 8JL
Tel: 020 8808 9954
Contact: Berivan Dosky
Kurdish Housing Association Limited was set up in 1989 in response to the needs of Kurdish refugees It manages properties obtained from other housing associations or local authorities. Haringey, Hackney, Lambeth, Enfield, Islington, Hammersmith and Fulham and Ealing. All these areas have substantial Kurdish communities.
Latin American Housing Co-op
Worcester House,
100 Kennington Road,
London SE11 6LS
Tel: 0207 207 1500
Director: Luis Maya
No website
Latin American Housing Co-op, based in Stockwell South London, was established in 1997 to provide accommodation for refugees. They manage 17 properties owned by housing associations, private landlords and Lambeth council.
Odu-Dua Housing Association Limited
86-88 Kingsgate Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 4LA
Tel: 0207 6251 799.
No Website
Odu-Dua manage 51 properties on behalf of other providers and have an HCA temporary social housing grant funded scheme in Camden with Christian Action Housing
Omid Housing Association
45 Queen’s Walk
London W5 1TL
Tel: 020 8248 7701
Chair: Shahram Agili
A housing project focusing on the needs of Iranian refugees.
No web site
Sahil Housing Association
Unit 2c Leroy House
436 Essex Road
London N1 32P
Tel: 0207 226 4494
Director: Mohamed Abdullah
No website
Housing Project focusing on the needs of the Somali community.
South Thames African Welfare Association
27a Peckham High Street
London SE15 5EB
Tel: 7703 5511
Director: Abdul Kpakiwa
No website
Managed five properties in Southwark which are let out to refugees on benefits.
Tamil Community Housing Association
Unit 2, Fountayne Business Centre
Broad Lane
London N15 4AG
Tel: 020 8493 7179 . info@tamilhousing.org.uk
CEO: Victor I Sivagunam
Formed in 1986 TCHA currently manages 620 shortlife bed spaces on license from other housing associations and local authorities and have an HCA temporary social housing grant funded scheme with Christian Action Housing. TCHA also manages106 units of permanent housing from other housing associations which they would like to acquire.
Westcoast Housing Association
Channelsea House
Suite 416
Canning Road, Abbey Lane
Stratford
London E15 3ND
Director: John Adelsulure 020 8522 4922
Westcoast manage properties for several housing associations and private landlords and provide 120 homes. They are part of the Westcoast Group that also provides a range of training for refugees and migrants.
5. Community Housing & Enterprise
Giroscope
Unit 3, 23 Arthur Street,
Analby Road
Hull HU3 6BH
Tel: 01482.576374 info@giroscope.co.uk
Contact: John Wood
Since 1985. Giroscope has self funded the acquisition and renovation of 23 houses, 7 flats, 3 offices, a shop, and 3,000 square feet of workshop space. ( See Case Study for more information).
Fresh Horizons Huddersfield
Chestnut Centre
2a Chestnut Street
Deighton
Huddersfield
HD2 1HJ
Tel: 01484 234 226 info@freshhorizons.org.uk
Director: Mike McCusker
Fresh Horizons is a Development Trust with a construction arm. They are exploring the possibility of getting hold of a number of empty properties in partnership with an RSL which their workforce will renovate.
Acumen Development Trust
1 Palmer Road South West Industrial Estate
Peterlee, County Durham
SR8 2HU
Tel: 0191 587 8000
Property Manager: Karen Hyrons
Acumen is a Development Trust looking at setting up a small self- help housing project as an enterprise initiative
Artspace Lifespace
The Island
Silver St.
Bristol BS1 2PY
Tel: 077898 03392 wim@artspacelifespace.com
Contact: Wim Penhaul
Artspace is a community arts/ circus project in Bristol. They have a large building ( ex police/fire station) on licence from the local authority and are keen to make contact with similar projects and also to explore how to get hold of property to house members/volunteers.
Version 6/6/09
