Press release: School of Community-led Housing
A south London community housing group is launching training workshops for people who want to learn about alternatives to the mainstream housing market.
The Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS), a London-based community land trust working to provide genuinely affordable, community co-designed homes, will be running training sessions on how to set up and organise a community-led housing project.
Following a successful pilot the group's next event will be in partnership with the Built Environment Trust at The Building Centre in London on Saturday 15 July. Topics will include: how to form a group, finding land, finance, legal issues, working with professionals, the planning process, co-design and allocating homes.
The aim is to share the lessons RUSS has learned with other aspiring community groups and housing practitioners and to contribute towards creating a community-led housing movement in the UK.
RUSS founder and chair Kareem Dayes said:
"We are responding to the demand for information on how groups can find land and finance and work with architects and authorities to create their own housing. Many people are seeking alternatives to buying and private renting, and community-led housing offers a way for people to create their own housing solution. It is not an easy process and we hope our workshops will help people find a way through it. We have progressed our vision to the planning stage and still have a long way to go but we believe we have some valuable lessons to pass on to those embarking on a similar journey."
This workshop will feature two guest speakers: Jon Broome, an architect who has designed homes for community-led projects and John Struthers who formed Headway Self-build Collective which produced self-build homes in Walthamstow, north London.
Following this introductory workshop there will be others, with a programme beginning in September.
Workshop and booking details:
http://www.buildingcentre.co.uk/events/russ-community-housing-workshop
Notes for editors:
The next RUSS School of Community-led Housing workshop is 15 July at the Building Centre, Store Street, London, WC1E 7BT
For more info emailalicergrahame@yahoo.co.uk07866 351412
For more info on RUSSwww.theruss.org