The Start-Up Support Programme aims to help groups of local people to develop their own community led housing solutions. The grant programme is targeted to support the earliest stages of a community led housing group’s development and help community led housing projects at an early stage to explore options, to enable community led housing solutions to become a reality. 
The programme is open to early stage voluntary and community organisations exploring community led housing.
This programme aims to support groups to progress their projects to become ready to apply for further pre-development revenue grants from other programmes. Homes England’s Community Housing Fund programme provides revenue grants to fund pre-development costs so that projects can complete the Group, Site and Plan stages and are ready to start on site or acquire properties.
What will be funded:
Seed corn costs (up to £4,000) - All community led housing groups will incur costs during their early stages of a project’s development. Examples include community engagement costs such as room hire, volunteer expenses, staff expenses, legal fees to incorporate the group, travel costs to see other community led housing projects, training course fees and the costs of hiring a professional to undertake site valuations and surveys.
1:1 support from community led housing enabler hubs - Increasing numbers of community led housing enabler hubs are providing specialist 1:1 support.
Support costs (up to £6,000)
This start-up support is only available to groups where:
• There is no Community Led Housing Enabling Hub operating in your area
• Your group requires start-up support that falls outside the skillset of your local enabling hub
• Your local enabling hub has reasonably taken the view that your group is at too early a stage or needs additional support to become more certain about your approach before you can qualify for support from them at no up-front cost
• You would like to work with a community led housing advisor of your choice, who is not an associate of a local enabling hub
The grant programme will be a rolling programme open for applications from mid-February 2019 until mid-February 2020, or until all funding is committed, whichever is sooner.
For further information and to apply, visit: www.communityledhomes.org.uk/community-led-homes-start-support-programme