Self-Help Housing Feature in Guardian Society 2/2/10

This week’s Guardian Society includes a feature on self- help housing, looking  at three projects in different parts of the country which have recently featured in the research undertaken the Third Sector Research Centre.

” Now that there’s growing interest in the value community driven self-help housing projects” said Jon Fitzmaurice ” the next step is to make sure that they receive support and funding they deserve. The Government have set aside £100 m for bringing empty properties back into use and some of this needs to come the way of these organisations. We’re now busy making the case for that to happen”

Click here to read the Guardian article

Empty shops given new life

The number of empty shops on high streets is growing.  The Meanwhile project sees this as an opportunity rather than a tragedy.  Set up by the Asset Transfer Unit, Meanwhile is promoting the use of empty shops for community purposes.  Looked at in this way, empty shops can become excellent centres for community activities, art exhibitions or other valuable and enriching uses.

The current issue of  New Start magazine is covering this here:

http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news/article/empty-shops-given-new-lease-of-life-by-meanwhile