Community led housing

Community Land Trusts are another form of not-for-profit community-led housing, in which local organisations, set up and run by ordinary people, develop and manage homes and other community assets. The Community Land Trust will aim to make sure that homes are genuinely affordable, based on what people actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier.

Wyre Forest Community Land Trust is a new community land trust covering the entire Wyre Forest District and was formally established in April 2019.  The Community Land Trust’s mission is to provide a mix of affordable and attainable housing for all, regardless of income, tailored to community needs and with a focus on eco homes and energy efficiency. Wyre Forest Community Land Trust is also committed to acquiring local assets and land important to the community for community benefit.  The Community Land Trust are always looking for new volunteers and members.  If community-led housing is something you are interested in, please submit a form via their get in touch page.

Self-Help housing is when local people bring empty properties back into use.  The reasons for the properties being empty may vary, but the one thing they have in common is that a group of people with a shared goal will work together to meet a housing need for a specific community.  This could be for something temporary like emergency accommodation or it could be longer term use.

Find out more at Self-Help Housing.Org 

Would you prefer to live in a more affordable and more inclusive community?  Every co-housing community is unique, but they will typically involve:

• Independent living with an element of shared resources; this might be your own home but having a shared space to meet, socialise and eat together
• Reduced outgoings; communities might have shared laundry facilities, pooled electrical items and gardening equipment. It might also have a shared playroom and toys for children
• Shared values; many co-housing communities have a shared ‘vision’ – it might for example be a community who want to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

  

Example of a co-housing community (image courtesy of UK Cohousing network)

If living in a co-housing community in the Wyre Forest district is something that appeals to you, please register your interest by completing the contact form below.

This register is for the council to find out if co-housing is something that people living in the Wyre Forest district are interested in. In the future we plan to use this database to connect interested parties and provide support and guidance to individuals who are interested in taking their first steps towards a co-housing community.

You can find out more about Cohousing by visiting the UK Cohousing network

Wyre Forest Cohousing

Wyre Forest Cohousing is a local group established in July 2019 and they are currently looking for new members to help to establish the level of interest in the Wyre Forest.  Early participants will have more influence over the development of the group’s vision and the type of homes that they plan to build. 

No commitment is needed at this stage, but if you are interested to learn more, please get in touch via their website.  There are also opportunities to get involved in group visits and training as they have a mutually supportive relationship with Wyre Forest Community Land Trust.

A housing co-operative is a housing organisation where members (tenants) democratically control and manage their homes. Housing co-operatives have open and voluntary membership and are independent of external organisations.

The Confederation of Co-operative Housing provides further details on co-operative and tenant controlled housing.

These are sometimes referred to as ‘community anchor organisations’ and they can be involved in a range of community projects including social, environmental and economic.

If you are one of these local organisations, we can support you to develop a community led scheme.

If you want to find out more about community led housing in the Wyre Forest district or have a proposal you would like some support with please contact us.