ICA CO-OP HOUSING NEWS

Community Land Trusts Conference Creating Affordable Housing

Published 05/23/2008

In conjunction with the Board meeting held in London at the end of April 2008, some ICA Housing Board members had the opportunity to attend the Community Land Trusts Conference Creating Affordable Housing, from concept to reality, organised by NewStart in association with Community Finance Solutions. In addition to a full day of presentations made by key experts, the organizers presented the results of the Community Land Trust Demonstration Programme whereby community groups have developed several pilot projects both in rural and urban England in the past two years.

• As in many developed countries, the UK is facing serious challenges with housing affordability both for the low- and middle-income families. Community Land Trusts are looked at one option to tackle this situation. Topics such availability of land and financing, appropriate legal framework, sustainable development and community engagement are at the center of the work undertaken. David Rogers, ICA Housing Board member and Executive Director of CDS Co-operatives presented a new form of shared equity housing co-operative to be developed in conjunction with a community land trust. To view his power point presentation click here. To download the conference documentation and speaker presentations visit www.clt-conference.co.uk/documentation and hit the download icon. The DVD, rural report and urban toolkits launched at the conference by the Community Finance Solutions are freely available. To receive them contact Jennifer Aird directly at:

  Jennifer Aird

  Community Finance Solutions English, Sociology, Politics and Contemporary History

  Room 214, Crescent House University of Salford

  Salford

  M5 4WT

  Phone: 0161 2954951 Email: J.Aird@salford.ac.uk

• ICA Housing Board London Site Visits

• Published 05/2/2008

• The ICA Housing Board met in London on Tuesday 29 April. CDS Coops, the host of the meeting in London, arranged for two site visits to CDS Housing Co-operatives. The first was to Sanford Housing Cooperative in New Cross and the second to St George's Church Housing Co-operative Limited in Camberwell. Click here to read about the climate change best practices being employed by the Sanford Housing Cooperative.

  The SHE project wins the National Energy Globe Award for Italy

  Published 04/16/2008 The International Jury for the Energy Globe Award 2007 has selected the SHE project, a 5-year initiative co-ordinated by Federabitazione Europe, as the national winner for Italy among a total of 853 projects from 109 nations.

• The ceremonious presentation is planned prior to the international television gala for the Energy Globe World Awards on May 26 2008 at the European Parliament in Brussels. The National Awards will be presented by high-ranking representatives of the European Parliament. » Read More GROWING SUSTAINABLE HOUSING MICROFINANCE OPTIONS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

  Enhancing the relevance and scale of housing finance for the poor
• Published 03/31/2008 A workshop entitled 'GROWING SUSTAINABLE HOUSING MICROFINANCE OPTIONS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: Enhancing the relevance and scale of housing finance for the poor, is being co-organized by Rooftops Canada, Habitat for Humanity and FinMark Trust, and supported by various other funders (negotiations are still underway), will take place from 19 to the 23rd of May at the Giraffe Ocean View Hotel in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. This workshop of housing finance practitioners will focus on housing micro finance. The workshop will be a problem solving initiative bringing together investors, financiers, and donors of retail housing lenders; experienced intermediaries (e.g. Microvest); and retailers (Housing Micro Finance Institutions, Micro Finance Institutions and NGOs).

• Key themes will include: state of practice; relevance; scale; and linkages. The workshop will stimulate a high level of interaction, so that participants can work together to find connections, and solutions to concerns raised from the different perspectives. The workshop will also showcase successes and the potential for housing micro finance.

• Practitioners will also be invited to set up displays setting out their particular organization, how they operate in their particular context, and demonstrating current successes and challenges. Click here for the workshop information booklet and click here for the Registration Form. » Read More

  Documentary of history of Inter Cooperative Council (ICC)

  Published 03/25/2008 The History of the Inter Cooperative Council (ICC) at the University of Michigan (UM), in Ann Arbor. The ICC is a Cooperative Housing organization for students at UM.

• The first Co-op in Ann Arbor was called Michigan Socialist House (Now Michigan Cooperative House) which was founded in 1932, and was part of the first wave of Co-operative housing for Students to come out of the depression. Today, the ICC has about 600 members across 19 houses.

• Click here to view the video of the ICC. » Read More