About the Church Housing Foundation
Our Vision
Our vision is simple: that everyone should have access to good and affordable housing. We believe that those who are poorest and most marginalised should be able to participate in that vision - benefiting as participants with power and agency.
The Church Housing Foundation is a charity formed to support Church organisations working for Housing and Community. We aim to connect with those who share our ambition to provide more high quality and truly affordable housing, supporting stronger communities.
What is ‘good’ housing?
In 2019 the Archbishops' Commission on Housing, Church and Community was set up. The commission report, Coming Home, published in February 2021 outlined the Church of England’s response to the housing crisis. It set out values rooted in the Christian story that define good housing: A Good Home is Safe, Stable, Sociable, Satisfying and Sustainable.
Church Housing Conference
The Church Housing Foundation hosted a housing conference, 2022, Church House Westminster, and also hosted a side event on Housing, for General Synod, November 2023
Our Role
Individuals and families facing homelessness or dealing with poor housing were the inspiration to our work and to Coming Home. Many churches work with homelessness projects, and our partners such as Housing Justice are able to signpost individuals to help.
Our focus is on long term solutions to the housing crisis. The Church Housing Foundation does not itself build houses, but instead works with those in the Church who want to get involved in meeting housing need, or to make better use of land and property. This also means working with housing professionals, industry and government to create an environment where building more and building better is achievable. We have had good dialogue with Community Land Trusts and other community groups, and with small local projects in the process of development.
Our current role is primarily communications on housing work, with all our partners shown on the Forum organisations page, and we run regular online webinars on Housing and Community topics.
Our Origins and Governance
Bishop Guli, as lead Bishop for Housing, is our President.
The Foundation was established during the early phases of work following Coming Home, with generous support from the Diocese of Gloucester. It was registered in 2022 as a company limited by guarantee, and gained registered charity status in 2024.
Our board of four trustees is chaired by Bishop Anne Hollinghurst, the Deputy Bishop for Housing. A board meeting early in 2025 reset our focus and plans for next two years