£50,000 grants available to help housing associations tackle overcrowding

The Housing Corporation is seeking expressions of interest from eligible housing associations to manage a £50,000 IGP grant to help tackle overcrowding.

The grant supports the December 2007 launch of the Governments National Overcrowding Action Plan that announced 38 local authority led overcrowding pathfinder areas covering London, Birmingham, Leicester, Manchester and Liverpool.
 
The grant will be used to help associations in the pathfinder areas to carry out assessments of the level of overcrowding in their housing stock.

Through the data collected  the program aims to assess the true scale of overcrowding and  look toward replacing the existing statutory definition of overcrowding with the Bedroom Standard.

Key tasks for the housing association managing the IGP grant would include:

• Administration of the grant
• Securing the commitment of housing association eligible areas to participate in the exercise
• Allocate the agreed proportion of grant to participating associations
• Monitor the progress of data collection
• Ensure participants  submit data to relevant local authorities
• Collate data and forward to the Housing Corporation
• Collate learning and best practice in monitoring overcrowding

For more information on expressions of interest housing associations should contact Gera Drymer, Policy Manager, at gera.drymer@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk