Social property 2022
We want to build a housing investment ecosystem that increases the supply of social and affordable housing, so that there are more safe, secure and affordable homes for the people that need them. Through our investments, we back the models that work fairly for all stakeholders and select managers who understand the social issues involved. We recognise that the social and affordable housing market is growing, and that it has a role to play in shaping the market for impact beyond just the capital deployed.
To tackle the UK housing crisis, we need to work with other institutional investors who bring the scale of capital required to back high-impact housing opportunities alongside us. Our investor engagement activities play a pivotal role in understanding the needs of these investors and breaking down some of the existing barriers to investment.
- £226m committed to social property since 2012
- 6000 homes provided
- 15000 people in housing need supported
Breaking down barriers
One of the biggest of these barriers cited by potential investors, is lack of knowledge. To that end, in the autumn of 2022 we produced an updated version of Mapping the Market: UK Social and Affordable Housing Funds. Read more here.
Thirteen managers have signed up as Adopters of Big Society Capital’s housing investment sector initiative, the Equity Impact Project. Several managers have now developed or published impact reports aligned to the project’s reporting standard. Through widespread sector adoption in the coming years, the project aims to increase transparency and accountability and support greater capital flows from investors at scale into social and affordable housing in the UK.
Investing in homes
One of our key social property investments in 2022, was a follow-on commitment to a fund that partners with high-quality Housing Associations to provide affordable housing to people on lower incomes, and which exemplifies impact management best practice. The remaining two commitments were to funds that provide homes for people with more-complex needs, such as people who have been rough sleeping or who require longer-term specialist care and support.
| 2022 Investments | ||
|---|---|---|
| National Homelessness Property Fund 2 Limited Partnership | £20 million | Follow-on investment. £10m top-up into NHPF2 matched by £10m from DLUHC as a top-up to the social investment pilot partnership. |
| Man Community Housing Fund | £10 million | Follow-on investment. The Man Community Housing Fund is a General Needs affordable housing fund focused on bringing additional housing supply to market and then leasing the homes to high-quality Housing Association/Local Authority Counterparties. |
| Social and Sustainable Housing SASH 2 | £10 million | Investment in follow-on fund to SASH (Social and Sustainable housing) with a focus on providing loans to charities to enable them to purchase properties. Typically, charities are serving vulnerable tenants, often with specialist support needs. |
Solving the housing crisis
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Learn moreGolden Lane Housing
Golden Lane Housing, the housing arm of Mencap, raised a charity bond to buy homes for people with a learning disability.
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Learn moreP3 Charity
People, Potential, Possibilities. P3 Charity supports people facing social exclusion and homelessness.
