Eastern Community Homes
Why is this needed?
Eastern Community Homes is an independent not-for-profit hub for community-led housing, hosted by Cambridgeshire ACRE. It is a partnership between six ACRE Network Members in the East of England: Bedfordshire Rural Community Charities (Beds RCC), Cambridgeshire ACRE, the Rural Community Council of Essex (RCCE), Community Development Action Hertfordshire (CDA Herts), Community Action Norfolk and Community Action Suffolk.
As the only dedicated community-led housing support service in the East of England, Eastern Community Homes fills a critical gap, helping to increase the supply of affordable homes and empowering local groups to bring their housing visions to life. Whether through Community Land Trusts (CLTs), cooperatives, co-housing schemes, self-help housing, group self-build projects or alms-houses, the hub provides expert guidance to ensure successful community-led housing initiatives.
Expert Support and Strong Partnerships
Eastern Community Homes provides direct tailored advice through a team of Accredited Community-Led Housing Advisors. These advisors work closely with community-led housing groups, offering specialist knowledge and hands-on support throughout the development process. In addition, the hub connects groups with a wider network of technical experts, including solicitors, ethical lenders, planners and architects.
Collaboration with local authorities and county-based housing partnerships is also key, ensuring that projects are not only viable but also align with local needs and planning frameworks.
Why Community-Led Housing Matters
Community-led housing offers numerous benefits that make it a sustainable community-driven solution to rural housing challenges:
- Stronger community engagement, leading to better acceptance of developments.
- Local homes for local people, directly addressing housing needs.
- Genuinely affordable housing, ensuring long-term affordability.
- Community ownership of assets, protecting them for future generations.
- Wider community benefits, as projects often extend beyond housing to include local services and facilities.
The Link Between Community-Led Housing and Neighbourhood Planning
Community-led housing and neighbourhood planning go hand in hand. A Neighbourhood Plan provides a statutory planning framework that can support community-led housing, making it easier for communities to bring forward their own schemes. Organisations like Locality offer further guidance on integrating neighbourhood planning with community-led housing initiatives.
Eastern Community Homes is committed to empowering communities to take ownership of local housing solutions, ensuring that developments are sustainable, inclusive and community-driven.
Funder
Eastern Community Homes is funded by local authorities from across the East of England who pledge their support and provide a financial contribution that allows us to support community-led housing groups.
What impact has our work had?
Some of the key impacts the hub has include:
- Empowering local communities to shape their place together.
- Mobilising and growing the skills of local communities.
- Strengthening relationships between communities and local authorities.
- Increasing the provision of affordable, high quality, and environmentally sustainable homes in the East of England.
How can you get involved?
If you are part of a community-led housing group that may require support from Eastern Community Homes, you can sign up to the hub.