Golden Lane Housing

Golden Lane Housing, the housing arm of Mencap, raised a charity bond to buy homes for people with a learning disability.

07 November 2019

Key information

Challenge

There is a lack of appropriate supported accommodation for people with learning disabilities who often live in large institutions that are far away from home, or stay with family members who are increasingly unable to cope.
Approach

Golden Lane Housing provides quality supported housing for people with a learning disability so that they have choice about where they live, who they live with and what type of support they receive.
Revenue model

£11 million was raised in eight days in the first ever charity bond to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. This is being used to buy and adapt 30 properties which for people with learning disabilities. Rental income, including housing benefits, will be used to pay interest to investors and cover costs of management and maintenance.
Impact

The charity has invested over £83 million to buy or lease 700 homes for 1,320 people with learning disabilities to date. Ninety percent of tenants report a high level of satisfaction with their homes and many have found a new lease of life as they are more confident and engaged in their local communities. The bond enables Golden Lane Housing to provide high quality, supported housing in the community for a further 120 tenants.