Futures Homescape and Amber Valley Borough Council have teamed up to secure the funding which will see five empty homes refurbished and let to those in housing need.
News of the grant, provided by the Homes and Communities Agency, follows research out last week which showed that average house price in the East Midlands in 2010 cost 8.3 times the average regional income and that around 300,000 people in the region are waiting for social housing.
Julie Heithus, head of development at Futures Housing Group, said: “Empty properties are a blight on local communities, but more than that each one represents a home that could help a family on the waiting list. We are therefore delighted to have secured this funding for the region.
“We have a strong track record of working in partnership to bring empty homes back into use and this has no doubt helped us to secure additional monies to support local families waiting for a home. The bid gives us £50,000 per property, which is the highest of all the organisations which received the funding.”
Futures Housing Group will work with Amber Valley Borough Council to identify empty homes, contact the existing landlords and work with them to purchase and refurbish each home. Councillor Norman Bull, Cabinet Member for Decent and Affordable Places to Live at Amber Valley Borough Council said: “ This is a huge boost to our continued efforts to transform properties for the benefit of families who need them and I would also like to thank those Council officers who have worked strenuously to bring more than 200 empty properties back into use since the scheme began”
Work will begin in the New Year and all homes will be refurbished to meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard – with modern kitchens and bathrooms. The homes will then be allocated to those registered for Derbyshire’s Home Options letting scheme.
Futures Housing Group has previously completed similar projects with Amber Valley Borough Council and Erewash Borough Council.
Empty homes in England account for three per cent of the total housing stock. According to Council Tax Data collected by local authorities, there were 734,000 vacant dwellings at the end of September 2010. Out of those, 301,000 are in the private sector.
