Archbishops’ Council Housing Project launches small grants programme
The Archbishops’ Council Housing Project team is led by Beki Winter, formerly head of the Faith in Affordable Housing England project at Housing Justice. Since taking up the post in October 2024, Beki has been building up a strong network across dioceses, and the small grants programme is ready for applications. The team is looking for parishes interested in, or already working on, developing homes that address the needs of their communities.
The conversion of St Andrew’s Church Hall in Portland into two affordable flats benefitted from a small grant.
“Many parishes have issues with their buildings or property, but don’t always realise that these problems could be opportunities to provide some housing,” says Beki. “For example, an outdated church hall could be rebuilt to include a few flats above it, or a surplus car park or vicarage garden could be redeveloped to provide some social homes. There are many creative ways to use church land or property to provide housing for people in need, whilst improving community facilities or bolstering parish finances.”
The grants programme will generally be offered alongside expert guidance from Beki and her colleagues for PCCs that are interested in exploring how they could manage their property differently and provide homes for those in need.
While many parishes are eager to explore such projects, they often face challenges in terms of expertise, leadership capacity, and financial resources needed to take the initial steps. The small grants programme is aimed at overcoming two key hurdles that must be addressed early on:
Feasibility: This phase examines whether the site is suitable for redevelopment, considering legal, physical, or practical obstacles.
Viability: This assesses the financial aspects of the project, such as the cost of redevelopment, funding strategies, affordability of housing, and potential financial returns or income streams for the PCC.
Typical grants of between £10,000 and £20,000 will primarily fund the costs of architects, surveyors, and other consultants to assess the feasibility and viability of a proposal. In some cases, grants may also contribute to expenses related to navigating the planning process.
The recent redevelopment of a 60 year old parish hall site at Fulwood, near Preston, into 14 affordable homes and a new energy-efficient parish centre shows what can be done. Project manager Canon Andrea Titterington said, “The St. Martin’s chapel/parish centre project fulfils twin objectives of the Church of England – to use its land to provide good quality, affordable housing and to offer community space for fellowship, service and worship.”
Church leaders or PCC members interested in requesting support from the Housing Project team, or who would like to share their own experience of providing housing, should email HousingProject@churchofengland.org
