Today, work started on the redevelopment of the Bonny Downs Baptist Church site in East Ham to provide supportive community housing to help people out of homelessness.
The church is working with the NEWway project homelessness charity and J49 Housing Association to build ‘Bonny Downs Urban Abbey’ on the site of its 1930s hall. The new building will provide two storeys of accommodation for an intentional community above a ground floor community space.
The church and NEWway started exploring this vision in 2019 and are delighted to see it finally happening. The expertise of the Community Led Homes team was instrumental in providing initial advice, bringing on board Panter Hudspith architects, brokering partnerships with housing associations, and ongoing support through the planning process.
Eight studio homes will welcome single people who have experienced homelessness, who will stay for an agreed period of supported tenancy before moving on to independent living. Two flats for church and community workers will provide peer support and stability. Generous shared living space will allow all residents to cook, eat, and share life together.
The ground floor will be used on Sundays for church and in the week it will house the NEWday day centre for people experiencing homelessness, an existing service commissioned by the London Borough of Newham that has 45-50 guests each day.
The project was made possible with financial contributions from the GLA, the London Baptist Association, The National Lottery Community Fund, Benefact Trust and many others, including church members who raised £120,000 through ‘buying a brick’ over many years.