Dear friends,It’s hard to believe it’s been just over a month since the New Homes in New Ways Summit. Building on the momentum of the New Homes in New Ways exhibition at the Building Centre, the Summit gathered industry leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors to spark collaborative action to change the way we deliver homes for the sake of the most vulnerable. As the Housing Festival team, we can only say - what a turn out, what an inspirational group of people, and what a hopeful two days!
The Summit underscored the urgency of collectively addressing the Temporary Accommodation crisis, and in particular child homelessness, and recognised that now is the critical moment to act with a focus on both immediate solutions to address the cost pressures and longer-term to drive systemic solutions.
The modular home on the crescent, provided by Wates Group and Rollalong, is a brilliant demonstration of how demountable homes and temporary use of land can expediently provide alternatives to expensive and poor-quality Temporary Accommodation, saving councils money and providing quality homes for residents. However, it was also clear that to address the problem at its root, a whole-systems approach is required to unlock and scale up new social rent home delivery – the focus of the MMC Playbook.
“Over the two days, we’ve heard from leaders, disruptors, and those working tirelessly to change the way we deliver homes. We’ve explored real solutions, challenged outdated thinking, and shared an overwhelming sense of urgency. The message was loud and clear—this is an emergency, and we need to do better." – Gaynor Tennant, Founder, Offsite Alliance
Thank you to everyone who attended the Summit, and for our many friends across the sector that join us in this work. The Summit has fuelled our fire, let’s continue until the job is done.
See below for our blog post on reasons to be hopeful, session recordings and links to related articles.
And so the Festival continues...
Jessie and the Housing Festival team |
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