community led housing london

London Filipino Cohousing

A Filipino Community group aiming to build a mixed tenure, intergenerational cohousing community.

The London Filipino Co-Housing Project was initiated in early 2019 by four households from the Filipino community in London.

The project, which is supported by Bahay-Kubo Housing Association and Kanlungan Filipino Consortium, is keen to address the issue of housing affordability which often faces low paid Filipino migrant workers working in the public sector, particularly those employed in health and social care.

How we’re helping:

We have helped to identify a site and have committed a small amount of funding for an initial feasibility study and will be supporting wider business planning.

Brockley Tenants Co-operative

An established housing co-operative seeking to expand and adapt to the changing needs of their residents.

Brockley Tenants’ Co-operative has been in existence for forty years as a Registered Provider and owns 90 units across Lewisham.

Having paid off most of their mortgages, they are now looking to expand their housing stock to provide more social housing for those in need. This expansion will also allow them to adapt to the changing needs of their elderly residents, some of whom are no longer suited to their existing housing stock.

How we’re helping:

We are supporting Brockley Tenants with long term business planning to establish what they can do without putting existing homes at risk.

 
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Photograph by Peter Brooker

Bonny Downs Cohousing

A local charity founded by a Baptist church seeking to redevelop their church hall to provide a bespoke space for community activities and affordable housing for those in need.

Bonny Downs Church owns a small, old church hall building which is used for their weekly foodbank, community meal, winter night shelter, and skills courses.

Working in collaboration with the New Way project, their vision is to build an ‘urban abbey’ that will be an intentional community bringing together people from different backgrounds who are committed to sharing life with and supporting one another, united by a common goal of tackling poverty. The ground floor will have community space and a chapel, with housing above. Four to six studio homes will welcome vulnerable single people, who have experienced homelessness, who will stay for an agreed period of supported tenancy, alongside two flats for community workers. A shared kitchen and lounge will facilitate communal living, where residents will regularly prepare and eat meals together. Everyone will help maintain the house and garden together. Residents will also be invited to volunteer at the daytime services for homeless people based on the ground floor. Acting as a therapeutic community, it will be a place to rebuild lives and to foster purpose and belonging.

How we’re helping
We have helped them complete an initial feasibility study on the site, and have supported them to appoint Panter Hudspith as architects to take the project further. Our adviser Andy Redfearn has helped in preparing a planning application, and we have initiated discussions with potential lenders and partners.

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Ginger Giraffe Collective

A cohousing project aiming to create community housing for both those who have health and social care needs and those who can provide this care.

The aim of Ginger Giraffe Collective is to build a cohousing community comprised of those who have health and social care needs, such as disabled and elderly people, as well as those who can provide the necessary support, such as carers and students.

The project was formed by a group of disabled people, academics, key workers practising in the field and students who came together to reimagine the delivery of health, social care, and housing.

Guided by the principle of co-production, their housing model not only ensures that individuals’ care and support needs are met but also addresses the issue of housing affordability for key workers and allows students to receive a unique service-user based learning experience whilst on placement.

How we’re helping
We helped develop clarity to their innovative model and how it would work in practice, supporting an initial business plan.

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Plum Tree Co-op

A group of property guardians living in an un-used council-owned children’s centre, have been having problems with the property guardian company, who haven’t been maintaining the building, and intimidating them with intrusive behaviour.

The guardian company was liquidated in November 2019 after being found guilty of 15 charges in relation to other HMOs. The property is now managed by a new company, but with the same directors.

The residents have put a proposal to LB Croydon to pass meanwhile management to the residents collectively. They have been repairing the building and have established a communal garden and living space.

How we’re helping
We have provided information about other short-life co-ops with meanwhile leases or licences, and example contracts to LB Croydon, with the Confederation of Cooperative Housing, and supported the co-op’s incorporation.

 
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