THE RISE OF THE HOUSING ASSOCIATION

CAN’T get on the property ladder because homes are too expensive or loans are out of reach? Some of the UK’s largest housing associations are pushing for change to ensure more people can get access to affordable homes. Tailored Home investigates.


THERE are 2,000 housing associations at work in the UK. But while many have a reputation for simply working with councils to house the unemployed and homeless, the customer base is somewhat broader – and is about to grow.
The origins of state housing lay in the efforts of employers and voluntary organisations to improve the lives of those living in slum conditions and to house industry workers in the 19th century. 

State control in helping people began just over a century ago. But a sharp decline in social housing provision since the late 1970s undermined those early efforts and much of the original work was replaced by a welfare model.
The amount of affordable subsidised housing has almost halved since 1979, with homes available only to those with the greatest housing need due to lack of stock.

The shortage has created huge demand today, increased by right to buy programmes and the lack of new supply.
In 1979, 32% of England’s overall housing stock was state subsidised. By 2005 it had fallen to 18%.
Now the country’s largest housing association are joining forces to help ensure more people can get access to a home ownership via their unique schemes.
Five of the country’s largest housing association groups have just produced a report, ‘Homes for Tomorrow: New Directions for Housing Policy’, which challenges the current model for providing affordable housing.
The groups - Places for People, Affinity Sutton, London and Quadrant, Riverside, and Gentoo – claim state housing subsidy performed better when supply was significantly higher and more people living in affordable housing worked. This was when social housing had a widely accepted socio-economic role in society.
And those days could be about to return.

Published on April 5, the report stated: “State subsidised housing is now clearly a tenure of last resort.
“It is no longer delivering optimal socio-economic outcomes and has started to positively limit life chances.
“This is entirely contrary to the Government’s core objectives for state intervention.
“The system is broken and needs to be re-made.”
The problem that needs addressing is that many of those without the finances to afford their own home are still not eligible for state subsidised rented housing.
According to recent Hometrack research, the proportion of younger working households falling into this category is over 28% across the country, 36% in the South East and over 40% in the South West and London.
Government cash is already starting to flow into schemes run by housing associations, particularly with a view to helping first time buyers and key workers.
Below is a list of 15 of the top associations in London and what they doing:

Name: A2Dominion Housing Group
Chief Executive: Darrell Mercer
Address: 15th Floor Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London, NW1 5WX
Contact: 0800 783 2159 or email sales@a2dominion.co.uk

MOST recent projects include a £5.4million development that combines affordable homes with environmentally-friendly living in Middlesex.
The Austen House scheme forms part of the regeneration of Yiewsley’s High Street area and features 18 two-bedroom apartments along with retail units.
House-hunters have the chance to buy up a 40 per cent share of an apartment from as little as £64,000. The homes are available through A2Dominion’s part-buy, part-rent scheme, which is also known as shared ownership.
Formed in October 2008, the group now provides over 30,000 homes across London and southern England with thousands in development. It offers homes for rent, sale and shared ownership, as well as temporary, student, sheltered, supported and key worker accommodation.
The group has a combined grant allocation of £150m from the Housing Corporation to develop affordable new homes, a turnover of more than £200m, and an asset base of over £5bn.
For more information contact A2Dominion on 0800 783 2159 or email sales@a2dominion.co.uk

Name: Metropolitan Housing Trust
Chief Executive: Tony Shoults
Address: Cambridge House, Mayes Road, London, N22 6UR
Contact: 020 8829 8000

CREATED in the 1950s when Lady Molly Huggins started the Metropolitan Coloured People’s Association to provide affordable housing for immigrants from the West Indies. The group was formally established as a housing association in 1963.
In 2005, Granta Housing Society joined the newly re-branded Metropolitan Housing Partnership, the same year it was selected by the Clapham Park Project and Lambeth Council to progress the housing renovation of Clapham Park.
Today it is made up of a group of organisations with over 30,000 homes in London and the Midlands.
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Name: Affinity Sutton
Chief Executive: Keith Exford
Address: Level 6, 6 More London Place, Tooley Street, London, SE1 2DA
Contact: 0208 3130660

PLANS include the redevelopment of the Graylingwell approved by Chichester District Council on March 4, 2009. Committee members agreed with Chichester District Council and West Sussex County Council officers and determined that planning permission should be granted for the net zero carbon development.
The developers, Linden Homes and Downland Housing Association, appointed by the Homes and Communities Agency, intend to start construction on the first phase of the scheme immediately.
All new homes will be built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 and the development, as a whole, will achieve the highest rating of Level 6 on energy.
A range of community and commercial uses also form part of the proposals including local shops, office space, a multi-purpose community facility, studios and galleries for local artists, a single-storey pavilion with changing facilities, allotments and land reserved for a potential new primary school.
If you would like further information on the proposals, they can be viewed on the project website: www.graylingwellchichester.co.uk or you can call the Community Helpline on 0845 602 6684.
Affinity manages 53,000 homes across the country.

Name: East Thames Group
Chief Executive: June Barnes
Address: 3 Tramway Avenue, Stratford, London, E15 4PN
Contact: 0845 600 0830

EAST Thames signed up its 100th customer to its Rent Now, Buy Later scheme in March 2009.
One of the first of its kind, the scheme is aimed at first-time buyers who earn a regular salary, but need to save up to buy their first home. The rent is 20% lower than market rent, allowing prospective buyers to save up to buy while living in their new home. East Homes also offer Rent Now, Buy Later customers up to six months rent refund when they decide to buy a share in their home, which can be used towards a deposit.
It is the largest housing association in east London and Essex and manages more than 13,500 homes.
Last year East Thames developed nearly 750 homes for rent and low-cost home ownership and is heavily involved in the major regeneration taking place in Stratford the run-up to 2012.
For more information on Rent Now, Buy Later, call 0845 600 0830, 


Name: Notting Hill Housing
Chief Executive: Kate Davies
Address: Notting Hill Housing, 1 Butterwick, rear of MetroBuilding, Hammersmith, London, W6 8DL
Contact: 020 8357 5165 or email develop@nhhg.org.uk

SHOCKED at the poor quality of housing that people were forced to live in, Bruce Kenrick created the organisation when he moved to Notting Hill in 1963. He began a fundraising with the aim to raise enough money to buy one home to house several homeless families. Notting Hill Housing Trust was born.
Within his first year, he had bought five houses and housed 57 people and within five years, the organisation had a large presence in west London, housing nearly 1,000 people.
As house prices started rise in the late 1970s, Notting Hill Housing pioneered a new form of tenure to help people who could not afford to buy outright, ‘part-buy part-rent’.
Shared equity is now the mainstay of Government homeownership strategy.
There are plans to launch even more new housing products in 2009. Current projects include East India Dock Road, a ‘mini-city’ in East London.
As well as its piazzas and landscaped gardens, the accommodation's design features roof gardens, balconies, winter gardens and terraces.

Name: Network Housing Group
Chief Executive: Nick Wood
Address: Network Housing Group Olympic Office Centre, 8 Fulton Road, Wembley, HA9 ONU
Contact: 020 8900 0185

THE group has submitted a planning application to Brent Council for key worker homes on land next to the Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal, north west London. 
If successful, the development will provide100% key worker affordable housing, 145 one, two and three bedroom apartments, as a mix of rental and shared ownership, 78 underground car parking spaces and 147 bike bays.
Network owns or manages more than 17,000 homes, mostly across London and the Eastern region.

Name: Catalyst Housing Group
Chief Executive: Rod Cahill
Address: Catalyst Housing Group, Ealing Gateway, 26-30 Uxbridge Road, London, W5 2AU
Contact: 020 8832 3334

MOST recent projects include the £30million regeneration of Mill Farm Close, Harrow.
Catalyst Housing Group and PTEa architects were both selected by Harrow Council and local residents to take forward plans, which include 193 new homes, a large green communal space will include a brand new children’s play area for young people, while footpaths and cycle routes will connect the estate with the wider community.
Catalyst provides more than 14,000 affordable homes in London and the South East. Group members include Catalyst Communities Housing Association, Kensington Housing Trust and Fortunegate Community Housing. The Group employs more than 400 staff. 

 
Name: Peabody Trust
Chief Executive: Steve Howlett
Address: 45 Westminster Bridge Rd, London, SE1 7JB
Contact: 0800 022 4040

PEABODY was founded in 1862 by the American banker, diplomat and philanthropist George Peabody.
The Peabody Group now owns 20,000 homes. It states its mission as making London a city of opportunity for all by ensuring as many people as possible have a good home and a strong feeling of belonging.

Name: Circle Anglia
Chief Executive: Mark Rogers
Address: Circle Anglia, 1/7 Corsica Street, London, N5 1JG
Contact: 01603 703 588
 
EACH year Circle Anglia develops new properties that are available to purchase through the New Build HomeBuy scheme. 
Homes are currently available in Surrey, Kent and Essex.
Circle Anglia manages over 46,000 homes, and provides care and support services for 180,716 people across the UK.
The group employs a team of more than 1,600 staff.

Name: Southern Housing Group
Chief Executive: Tom Dacey
Address: Southern Housing Group, Fleet House, 59/61 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5LA
Contact: 08456 120 021

SOUTHERN Space, is the development arm of Southern Housing Group.
It has just launched eight prime location homes in the hamlet of Jacobs Well, a few minutes from Guildford town centre.
Brookside Gardens is eight, 3 and 4 bedroom homes with fast link to the M25.
Prices start from £320,000.
One of southern England’s largest housing associations, the group owns and manages 24,000 homes for more than 66,000 residents, employing more than 900 people and working with more than 80 local authorities.
The association began in 1901, when founder Samuel Lewis bequeathed £670,000 (equivalent to £30 million today) to provide housing for the poor.

Name: The Hyde Group
Chief Executive: David Eastgate
Address:  The Hyde Group, Leegate House, Burnt Ash Road, Lee Green, London, SE12 8RR
Contact: 020 3207 2600

DEVELOPMENTS include the completion of the £18m Hillside Hub on the Stonebridge Estate, in Harlesden.
Located within the two-wings of Hillside Hub are 59 one and two-bedroom apartments. Of these, 34 were available for private purchase through REAL (the regeneration arm of The Rydon Group which constructed the Hillside Hub) and 25 for shared ownership through INplace (part of The Hyde Group).
The Hub provides an NHS Primary Care Centre, a Tesco Express and a café as well as community centre which contains a hall, an exercise studio, an IT training room, meeting rooms, a workshop, offices and exhibition areas.
Hyde Housing Association was founded in 1967, a time when demand for decent homes far outstripped supply.

Name: Family Mosaic
Chief Executive: Brendan Sarsfield
Address: Albion House, 20 Queen Elizabeth Street, London, SE1 2RJ
Contact: 020 7089 1000

WORK will begin on seven new energy-efficient homes at Gallon Close in Greenwich, South London, this summer.
Plans have also been approved to convert a listed, four-storey Victorian terrace at 429-31 Holloway Road, in Islington.
The site, originally built as eight separate houses, sits between the Odeon Cinema and National Youth Theatre.
The scheme will include 14 units, (8 x 5 bed town houses, 4 x1 bed flats and 2x 2 bed wheelchair flats), all for affordable rent.
Family Mosaic secured grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency for the project, which will be completed in the summer of 2010.
Mosaic builds more than 1,000 homes every year selling many as shared ownership properties.
The group provides affordable homes and housing services to over 45,000 people in communities across London and Essex, with more than 20,000 homes for rent.

Name: AmicusHorizon Group
Chief Executive: Steve Walker
Address: Grosvenor House, 125 High Street, Croydon, CR0 9XP
Contact: 020 8726 8600

AMICUSHORIZON provides homes and services to communities across London, the South and South East of England.
Managing more than 28,000 homes, the group offers housing solutions from general needs as well as housing for people with mental health problems and learning difficulties.
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Name:The L&Q Group
Chief Executive: David Montague
Address: The L&Q Group, Osborn House, Osborn Terrace, London, SE3 9DR
Contact: 020 8852 9181

THE Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, joined L&Q Chief Executive David Montague for the launch of a multi-million pound initiative in March, 2009. 
The funding package will deliver 500 rent homes and just over 1,400 affordable homes in total across London, including L&Q’s new Elysee development in Wandsworth, South West London, where the scheme was launched.
A £42 million investment by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) will support the building programme, which aims to help get people onto the property ladder and kick start construction in London’s housing sector.
THE L&Q Group manages more than 57,000 homes in Greater London and south east England.
It builds new homes and refurbishing old ones and provides accommodation for key workers, like nurses and hospital staff.

Name: Genesis Group
Chief Executive: Anu Vedi
Address: Genesis Group, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London, NW1 5DT
Contact: 020 7563 0120

THE first owner/tenants have already begun to move in at the Girtin, Munro and Gulland development, in Bushey.
Demolition and regeneration was approved by Hertsmere Borough Council in January 2008. After years of vandalism and anti-social behaviour the first phase of demolishing the 1950s Ministry of Defence homes began in May. The scheme will deliver a new mixed-tenure neighbourhood of 190 houses and flats over the next two years.
Genesis completed over 1,400 new properties in 2007/08. Its affordable home ownership programme maintains an active part rent/part buy development programme, helping more people get a foot on the property ladder.
The group provides homes and services to tens of thousands of people across London and the south east and is one of the largest and most successful housing groups in the UK, owning and/or managing more than 38,000 homes across London and the south east.

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