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.