Two new initiatives within the Church of England's housing 'ecosystem' have got under way in recent weeks, which in the years ahead will lead to the provision of hundreds of homes and community support around the country. We will be showcasing these two startups in our termly Church Housing online event, on 19th May at 6pm.

The Archbishops Council Housing Project has approved the first round of grants for church housing initiatives, worth an average of £21,500 each. Grants were mainly for professional fees to examine the feasibility or viability of a church redevelopment project that prioritises the provision of affordable housing.

The fifth episode of this series on how the housing crisis impacts local communities in Birmingham shows how the acute shortage of family homes in the social rent sector is having a deep impact on families in the city.

The Archbishops’ Council Housing Project team recently visited Portsmouth as part of their wider engagement with parishes across the country. They are exploring examples of how church land and buildings can be creatively repurposed to meet local housing and community needs.

In the fourth episode of this series looking at how the housing crisis impacts local communities in Birmingham, Dan Mayes and Louise Jones highlight the range of community and support networks in place to help people in housing need.

Around 120 people attended this term’s Church Housing online event on 19th May, chaired by the lead Bishop for Housing, Guli Francis-Dehqani. Guest speakers included Aileen Evans, Beki Winter, Jamie Huard and Bishop Rob Wickham.

In the third episode of this series highlighting housing need in local communities in Birmingham, we get a glimpse of how poor housing impacts many other areas of life, especially people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Two new initiatives within the Church of England's housing 'ecosystem' have got under way in recent weeks, which in the years ahead will lead to the provision of hundreds of homes and community support around the country. We will be showcasing these two startups in our termly Church Housing online event, on 19th May at 6pm.

In the second episode of this series telling stories of housing need in local communities in Birmingham, we hear about how failures of the housing system disrupt children’s education.

The final member of the team delivering the Archbishops’ Council Housing Project joined the project this month. Nathan Conway is the new Mapping and Grants Officer, and he will work alongside Project Manager Beki Winter and Executive Assistant Tash Jesson.

The Archbishops’ Council Housing Project has established a strong network across dioceses, and the small grants programme is open for applications.  The team is seeking parishes interested in, or already working on, developing homes that address the needs of their communities.

The Church of England Birmingham has long been present in the most deprived parts of the city through local parish congregations and church-linked community projects. But now the new Church Development Agency (CDA) and Church Housing Association (CHA), set up in response to  the ‘Coming Home’ report, are available to work in partnership with these groups to deliver more and better housing where it is needed most.

The Church Housing Association (CHA) has just completed the registration process with the social housing regulator and is now an RP – a registered provider of social housing. This will enable its work to begin formally, under the leadership of Aileen Evans.

In part 1 of our Birmingham Housing Stories, we hear about how the Church is working together with local community groups to help those in housing need in Birmingham

The UK Government has today announced £33 million in new funding to support rural communities, with a significant portion allocated to Rural Housing Enablers (RHEs)—the specialists who help unlock land for affordable housing in countryside areas. This is a crucial development for churches and dioceses looking to use glebe land for much-needed housing.

Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani writes in the Church Times this week about her recent visit to Birmingham to visit some housing projects in progress and see partnerships between the council, Church and other local communities pushing ahead essential housing work in the city.

A powerful example of community partnership is taking shape in Chelmsford as CHESS Homeless, supported by Allia Future Homes, launches an innovative housing community to help people rebuild their lives. Churches are ideal partners for projects like these.

Forum for Church Housing member The Church Commissioners have invested £4 million in a community housing fund designed to build 1000 homes, 90 per cent of which will be affordable. This initiative, part of the Church of England’s Social Impact Investment Programme, is in partnership with London CIV, with an initial focus on delivering over 350 energy-efficient, affordable family homes in areas with high housing costs.

The Bishop for Housing, The Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani reflects on the Church of England’s call to address the housing crisis through creativity and collective responsibility in her blog for the National Housing Federation Website: Imagination and Sacrifice: Why Our Housing Vision Needs Both.

In November 2024, Bishop Guli visited Birmingham to meet local communities, civic leaders, and faith groups. During the visit, she announced two significant developments in the Church’s efforts to tackle housing needs: The launch of The Church Development Agency, and a new team within the Church’s Faith in Public Life Team.