Support for much-needed new community housing for Ryedale residents has received a vital boost.
Community First Yorkshire, a charity that supports rural communities in North, South and West Yorkshire, will work with Ryedale District Council to tackle the problems of providing local housing for local people at an affordable price.
Community led housing can help local groups to solve housing problems, create their own genuinely affordable homes and build stronger communities.
“Last month, Hambleton’s Hudswell Community Charity celebrated the opening of three new homes which included a contribution from the Community Housing Fund. There is real need out there for affordable housing for local people, many of whom are often priced out of our villages because of second home ownership. It’s something we’re passionate about and we are thrilled to be awarded a two year contract to help support community led housing in Ryedale,” said Leah Swain, Chief Executive Officer at Community First Yorkshire.
“If your community is worried about whether local residents can continue to afford to live in your area, or your village is lacking smaller homes for younger residents or for older people to downsize into, then we can help you explore options to help you meet your community’s housing needs. This is people-powered housing in action where local homes are firmly in the hands of community ownership.”
Find out more at our free event for Ryedale residents.
As part of the contract, Community First Yorkshire has organised a free community led housing workshop for residents in Ryedale on Wednesday 28 February (6.30 – 8.30pm) at Middleton & Aislaby village hall. Attendees will be able to find out more about starting their own community led housing project. To book email Hayley.johnson@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk or t: 01904 704 177.
Councillor Luke Ives, Chairman of Ryedale District Council’s Policy & Resources Committeel, said: “Community First Yorkshire is locally based and can demonstrate a good knowledge of Ryedale. As a specialist in community led housing and other community development related issues, they are perfectly placed to encourage our communities to explore options for developing housing that exactly matches their needs”.
Community First Yorkshire will work to raise awareness of, and enthusiasm for, community led housing among Ryedale’s community groups, parish councils, landowners or anyone with a local interest. Over the next two years, Community First Yorkshire will help communities to identify opportunities worth investing in and encourage groups to consider building and owning their own homes using the available funding.
Community First Yorkshire has already been working in partnership with the North Yorkshire and East Riding Housing Enablers to produce a suite of resources that will encourage rural communities across England to take community led housing schemes forward. The toolkit of resources and promotional video, funded by Nationwide Foundation, the North and East Yorkshire Rural Housing Enabler Network, North Star Housing Group and UK Cohousing Network, will be made available in Ryedale and will detail how to get a project started, the work involved throughout the different stages and highlight the support and funding available to get projects off the ground. Workshops will be delivered to get interested communities to find out more about the benefits of community led housing and why and how to do it.
Community First Yorkshire will also work with local councils, housing providers, the North Yorkshire and East Riding community led housing hub (The Hub) and other stakeholders to provide ongoing community led housing support and advice. The Hub will lead on technical support on matters such as legal advice, architectural, finance and other professional services.
Community First Yorkshire also provides the same support for community led housing in Hambleton.
