‘Use the power the church has, but use it well’
16/02/2021
The Archbishops’ Housing Commission is encouraging churches to promote the voices of their community - whether through existing structures or establishing something new. The example of St Paul's Marylebone shows how this can done without seeking to take control, by listening well and working with the local community.
4 min readYou are invited to the housing-themed Project Lab 2020 Final on 9th November
26/10/2020
This year everyone is invited to join in the online Project Lab 2020 final on 9th November at 7:30pm – a chance to find out about and support five church-led projects that are meeting local housing need in creative and effective ways. Please register here.
3 min readNeither up nor down – how the Dean encouraged compromise in York
15/10/2020
In 2016, the Right Revd Viv Faull, then Dean of York, was appointed as the chair of a Community Forum to steer the planning of the ‘masterplan’ for York Central. By the time Viv left York, the community forum had made decisions on key areas, and the planning application was being finalised.
4 min readAlmshouses for the twenty-first century?
30/09/2020
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community is looking at various different ways in which churches can meet housing need. This week, Mark Bennet, Team Rector at Thatcham in Berkshire, explains why we should hold almshouses in a higher regard.
5 min readConsultation, consultation, consultation: why churches should make their voice heard in planning
24/09/2020
The Archbishop of Canterbury's Housing Commission believes that churches should engage with the planning system. When the Diocese of Leicester replied to the Leicestershire Strategic Growth Plan they found that it was very beneficial for them.
3 min readWhat will you do to end homelessness?
06/09/2020
We need to reimagine how we respond to homelessness. It’s key that this discussion is led by those with lived experience of homelessness, and that’s why it’s great to see that the Joint Public Issues Team of the Baptists, URC, Methodists and Church of Scotland are inviting them to the centre of their discussions.
3 min readBreaking down the barriers to housing: churches preventing homelessness in Southampton
21/08/2020
One of the biggest barriers to housing is the tenancy deposit. Churches realised that for relatively little money they could help a lot of people at risk of homelessness, by setting up the Southampton Churches Rent Deposit Scheme.
4 min readWould you take in a stranger?
11/08/2020
Our houses are more than just financial assets. They’re more even that just our homes. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community believes that they’re valuable tools given to us by God. Nightstop is one way to do that.
7 min readFrom the old we travel to the new: West London Mission and changing responses to homelessness
11/08/2020
West London Mission (WLM) has been empowering people affected by homelessness, poverty and trauma since 1887. Recently, though, an element has changed. Where previously they were just responding to crisis need, they’ve expanded to have a more preventative approach.
4 min readParsonages of the future? How to create sustainable clergy houses
04/08/2020
As explored last week by Professor Tim Gorringe, sustainability is crucial to the Christian vision for housing being discerned by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community. We hear from Mark Wild on how the Diocese of Worcester responded.
5 min read
Church blogs
Read a selection of blogs from churches and faith communities.