New toolkit launches to help communities tackle empty homes

The NewStart team headed to Manchester for the launch of Action on Empty Homes’ new toolkit, which helps local authorities and communities work together to bring empty homes back into use, delivering affordable and sustainable housing for local people.

Local authority housing teams from across the region met with Action on Empty Homes and community housing providers to discuss the benefits of working together to target empty homes as a solution to the housing crisis.

A 2019 survey from Action on Empty Homes found that 94% of local authorities rely on case work to return empty homes to use and 84% were interested in and saw the value of working with communities, but they do not know how to initiate this.

Brighid Carey, Action on Empty Homes’ Consultancy and Projects Manager, introduced the Toolkit: ‘In this Toolkit we aim to guide local authorities and communities working together through the process of bringing empty homes into use, to deliver affordable housing for local people. We highlight the opportunity for new conversations and new ways of thinking, building creative partnerships to deliver lasting change.’

The toolkit explains that unrenovated empty homes can contribute to unmet housing needs, community frustration, economic decline, anti-social behaviour and poor health and wellbeing, while renovating empty properties can lead to healthier, happier communities that are safer and more resilient, secure housing, and economic regeneration.

Action on Empty Homes carried out research in communities that were delivering housing through empty homes projects during 2016 to 2019 and found that the involvement of communities in addressing housing issues built stronger communities, opened up new conversations and partnerships, and led to lasting change.

At the event, Brighid Carey said: ‘This is levelling up in action, and it has to happen at the community level because that is where you get lasting change.’

The event also highlighted that unrenovated empty homes are high risk and cost to communities and public services but low risk and cost to the owner, whereas when you renovate an empty home the majority of the risk and cost sits back with the owner and is lowered for the community and public services.

Brighid Carey highlighted the benefits of using community intelligence to address the barriers to renovating empty homes: ‘Shared with the local authority and other partners, this intelligence can target resources to deliver outcomes that make real sustainable differences.’

The toolkit can be accessed in full here.

Photo by Chloe Coules