Many young people in villages throughout the region find themselves in a difficult situation when they are ready to move out of Mum and Dad’s house: they want to stay in their local village, but they can’t afford to buy their first home there.
Some older residents find their homes are too large after the kids have flown the nest. They want a smaller, more manageable property, but often there isn’t the right type of house in their village for them to downsize to.
Middle aged people who want to return to the village they grew up in to be near to their parents, and their children’s grandparents, also find it hard to find the right housing to suit their needs.
But that needn’t be the case.
Community led housing, housing that is affordable and that meets the needs of a specific village, is a great solution to all these issues.
What’s more, at the moment there are grants available and relevant support, which make this a viable option throughout Ryedale.
Community led housing enables people of all ages – essentially the residents of a village – to get together to plan and build affordable homes that meet the current and future needs of their community.
The homes are owned by the community, and the community decides who lives in them.
Whether it is to rent or to buy, this scheme is ideal in rural communities because you, as a local group, come together and work out what would be the right housing for your own village, and then carry on working together to build homes both for yourselves right now, and for the generations to come.
Funding to make these vital homes happen is available through the national Community Housing Fund and locally through Ryedale District Council.
Community First Yorkshire, a charity that supports rural communities in Yorkshire, is helping residents in Ryedale to tackle the problems of providing local housing for local people at an affordable price.
They work with a wide range of partners, providing the information and support to help you achieve a once-again thriving rural society, where all generations can afford to live, work and play together.
This has already happened in Hudswell near Richmond, and in Exelby near Bedale and it is happening across the country.
Residents in Keswick in the Lake District were so impressed by their first community led housing scheme, they have gone on to build two further developments since.
Isn’t it time it happened for you?
Come and ask questions, find out all you need to know, and meet other like-minded people at a community led housing ‘breakfast briefing’ at Middleton and Aislaby Village Hall on Saturday 22 June from 10am to 1pm.
There’s fresh breakfast pastries, and tea and coffee up for grabs. Hear about how community led housing has been successful in other Yorkshire villages, and the stages you need to go through to make it a reality in your community.
There will also be the nitty gritty of funding and finance out there available to you to make it happen.
Let’s keep villages together, and create a future of affordable housing led by communities for communities.
ENDS
For further information email: hayley.johnson@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk or call 01904 704177
Click here to book a place directly at the community led housing Briefing on 22 June.
Notes to the Editor
For a great insight into community led housing in North Yorkshire, check out this video. You will hear about the funding available, success stories of communities making a go of it and views of the younger and older generation who are doing it.
Please also download our general leaflet on community led housing.
About Community First Yorkshire
Community First Yorkshire is an influential, regional body working across North, South and West Yorkshire to inspire and support positive local action.
We are the first port of call for voluntary & community organisations, social enterprises and parish councils looking for practical support.
We help with everything from governance and funding, to strategic planning and community engagement through our training and events, resources and networks.
We are also a rural community council, part of the national ACRE Network (Action with Communities in Rural England) helping communities improve the quality of life for all people living and working in rural Yorkshire.
Funded by Defra, Community First Yorkshire provide an important rural advocacy and influencing role, enabling and empowering communities to develop the confidence to help themselves, ensuring their needs are heard by policy makers and service providers, on a local, regional and national scale.
T: 01904 704 177 e: info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk
Twitter: @CommFirstYorks Facebook: Community First Yorkshire