Question

To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church of England will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing accommodation on their land for people aged 55 and over with shared values.

The Church of England’s Social Impact Investment Programme has committed £2m towards the second Social and Sustainable Housing Fund [SASH II] managed by Social and Sustainable Capital. SASH II seeks to enable charities and social sector organisations to acquire and own portfolios of property so that they can provide a combination of high quality housing and targeted support to vulnerable people. More information can be found here: Church of England commits £2m to enable charities to purchase housing to support vulnerable people | The Church of England

The Archbishops’ Housing Commission made recommendations to the Church and Government about building new communities and the future use of land. An example is St Bride’s Church in Trafford, which worked with Trafford Housing Trust (THT) to release land that was used to build a new church and the Limelight Centre: 81 extra-care apartments for over 55 year-olds and a new expanded community centre. The full report from the Commission can be found here: Archbishops Housing Commission