Housing charity launches £50,000 fund to help charities tackle social injustice

Commonweal Housing is inviting applications for its annual fund to help charities carry out feasibility studies for projects to tackle social injustice.

Key issues it is looking to fund are in supporting the housing needs of domestic abuse survivors and ex-offenders.

This is the third year the charity’s Call for New Ideas has been operating. A total of £50,000 is being made available to charities.

Another issue the charity is looking to address are transition points in people’s lives, such as when they leave the asylum system.

“As the housing crisis deepens, the already marginalised are often hit the hardest, doubling their disadvantage,” said Commonweal Housing chief executive Amy Doyle.

“We know how crucial housing can be in helping people overcome the barriers they face, but because of these barriers, its often housing they lose out on.

“Forward-thinking housing projects are needed more than ever. Commonweal is privileged and proud to have the freedom to test and explore new ideas for housing solutions to social injustice and inequalities.”

The charity says it is keen to receive applications from BAME-led and focused charities.

“Successful applicants will be supported to carry out a short-term study to establish the feasibility of their proposed model for a property-based pilot project,” said the charity.

“Successful applicants who have already completed a substantial amount of feasibility research will instead be invited to share this research with Commonweal, and to discuss what steps would be needed to develop the idea into a pilot project.

“If there is scope for a pilot to go ahead, Commonweal would look at ways to support the organisation to initiate and run their own pilot later this year or in 2023.”