HUNDREDS more families are set to benefit from new homes thanks to a shift in power, funding and responsibility from Westminster to the West Midlands.
More than 1,700 new homes are expected to be funded from the region’s new £389m Integrated Settlement, which was secured from government by Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands last month (April).
The Settlement, which includes nearly £63m for housing and regeneration, is set to unlock ‘place making’ schemes that create vibrant communities and regenerate high streets and other urban centres.
With 7,148 households, including 14,229 children, living in temporary accommodation and 65,335 households on the region’s housing waiting lists, the Mayor has made the construction of new social and affordable homes one of his four key priorities.
The Settlement, alongside the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) existing housing funds, will be used to help drive the Mayor’s ‘Homes for Everyone’ priority.
The figure of 1,770 homes, which will include a significant number of affordable and social housing, has been set out in the Integrated Settlement Outcomes Framework which shows the impact of the new funding on the regional economy and people’s standard of living.
The Mayor said: “Everyone deserves a warm, safe and affordable home but too many families are having to wait too long, forced to live in expensive and often poor quality rented or temporary accommodation.
“I’m committed to changing lives for the better which is why, in my first year in office I’ve unlocked more social housing at a faster pace than ever before.
“This is all part of my mission to deliver growth, jobs, homes and journeys for everyone.”
The Mayor has set a target of 2,000 new social homes a year by 2028 to help tackle the housing crisis, while also training local people in construction skills so they can get jobs building those homes.
