communityled.homes

We support people making homes together through Cohousing, Community Land Trusts, and Housing Co-operatives

Co-operative

Mace Housing Co-op

Mace Housing Co-op is a fully mutual cooperative who provide housing for single people and homeless families.

Mace manages around 300 properties, leased from housing associations and private owners across eight London boroughs. They employ a number of full time staff and aim to secure leases of at least three years from property owners.

Mace received funding from the Empty Homes Community Grant in 2012 to bring vacant properties in Hackney and Camden back into use. The cooperative also received funding from the local authority and developed a total of 44 units on leases of 10 years. The grant total of £1.25 million was match funded with £800k of private sector funding.

In early 2017, Camden Council awarded Mace a grant from the first round of the Community Housing Fund. They were able to use this to refurbish flats, which they secured on leases of ten years from a private owner, and to re-house three families nominated by the local authority.

The Co-op believes that its members and the communities it serves, should be empowered through practical skills training and launched its SEAP (Skills Empowerment and Advisory Project) Programme last year. The programme is designed specifically for the unemployed and others that are interested in pursuing a career in operational areas of Housing Management.

 

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Quaggy MHOS

A Mutual Home Ownership Society where some rent goes towards building up equity, which members may take out when they leave.

Quaggy MHOS successfully raised loan stock and purchased a property in early 2020.

They are a small group who enjoy shared living but wanted greater control and security than having a private landlord. The Mutual Homes Ownership Society works like a fully mutual co-operative, but allows members to build up equity shares which the society intends to be in a position to pay out when members leave.

 
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Sanford Housing Co‑op Expansion

Sanford are looking to expand housing and provide community facilities on their own land.

Sanford is a fully mutual housing co-operative in South East London. Initiated by housing activists in the late sixties who lobbied government to establish more coops. In 1973, Lewisham Council agreed to hand over the derelict site on Sanford Street for a pilot project, which became the first purpose built housing co-op in the UK.

Today there are around 125 tenant-members living in 14 houses and a block of flats. Each house is occupied by between 8-10 tenants. Each member is allocated their own bedroom and shares a kitchen, living room and three toilets. There are six self-contained flats in the block which include a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom. Residents enjoy shared gardens growing organic vegetables and a system of ponds and permaculture. They also have a new bike store.

How we’re helping
Members wished to expand and provide a new community and performance space. We awarded funding for feasibility of future development. The co-op reached internal agreement over a brief, shortlisted architects, and ran a competition process in order to appoint Hayatsu Architects. Feasibility is now underway we are also advising on financial modelling.

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