At the heart of this report is the idea that simply building more houses – whilst important – is not sufficient to address the prolonged housing issues this country continues to face.
We need more truly affordable homes and stronger communities that people can be proud of and where they can feel safe and welcome, put down roots and flourish. The Covid-19 pandemic has made us realise how vital our homes are to our health and wellbeing, and it has also highlighted the connection between poor housing, race, poverty and health. It has shown unequivocally that housing is an issue of social justice and equality.
This report by the independent Commission on Housing, Church and Community lays out a positive vision for housing, one that has been lacking in our national debate on this subject. The vision is centred on five core values, which are rooted in the Christian story but resonate with us all: good housing should be sustainable, safe, stable, sociable and satisfying. We both firmly believe the Church of England has a major role to play in realising this vision.
This means putting our land and other resources to good use, not letting the pressure for financial profit prevent us from also delivering social and environmental benefits, including new housing developments that align with our five core values. It means encouraging dioceses and parishes to become more deeply involved in meeting local housing need and building community, learning from the great examples of church-led action that are featured throughout this report.
