Ninety five housing associations, local authorities and other providers are set to deliver over 5,600 new affordable homes by bringing empty properties back into use, as the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) confirmed successful organisations for £70 million of Empty Homes funding. This is significantly more than originally anticipated.
This is the first time that the HCA has administered an Empty Homes Programme, which will fund the refurbishment of properties that have been standing empty for a minimum period of six months. The Empty Homes Programme sits as a distinct funding stream within the HCA's main Affordable Homes Programme 2011-15.
The £70 million announced now is part of the £100 million of Empty Homes funding announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review. The remaining £30 million is being made available exclusively for community led groups and is being administered by DCLG's appointed provider - Tribal UK. ]
For more details, use this link to visit the HCA's Empty Homes web page.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has delivered his third Budget. Implications for Housing are:
[Link2] Pickles: grant withdrawal for housing associations 'might happen'.
Communities secretary Eric Pickles has told 24dash that he foresees a period where grant given to housing associations to build new homes might be withdrawn altogether.