Almost 400 Homes on Disused Church Land: An English Diocese Teams Up With a Christian Housing Charity

• The Diocese of Chelmsford backed a plan with Housing Justice to build about 300 affordable homes
• The Christian charity’s Faith in Affordable Housing project had already delivered 86 homes in Wales
• The homes would use disused diocesan land
• The aim was to tackle homelessness within two years

In April 2022 the Diocese of Chelmsford in the east of England announced that it would work with the Christian charity Housing Justice to bring almost 400 affordable homes to church land. Premier Christian News reported that the plan was for around 300 homes in England over two years, alongside 86 already built in Wales.

The model uses land the Church no longer needs. Housing Justice’s Faith in Affordable Housing initiative works with dioceses, local authorities and housing associations to identify disused church sites and turn them into homes for people struggling to find somewhere affordable.

The Rev Jeremy Fraser, the charity’s part-time project manager, pointed to its record. “Housing Justice’s ongoing ‘Faith in Affordable Housing’ initiative has already had a number of notable successes working with the Church, local authorities and housing associations to build 86 homes at nine sites across Wales,” he said.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqani, welcomed the partnership. “The Diocese of Chelmsford is delighted to support the important work Housing Justice is doing to increase the supply of affordable homes,” she said. The initiative followed the Church of England’s Coming Home report on tackling the housing crisis. Premier did not give a cost for the programme.

The model has three parts: church land, a charity that knows how to put housing schemes together, and local government and housing associations to build and manage the homes. Jamaica has many of the same ingredients: denominations with idle lots, Christian charities that already build houses and a National Housing Trust with money to lend. For Jamaican churches, and for diaspora congregations in England that know how these partnerships work, the question is whether a similar arrangement could turn unused church land into rental homes for young families and elderly members.

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