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We are delighted to launch Call for New Ideas: Migration, Asylum and Human Trafficking

We're inviting frontline organisations across the UK to design and develop creative ideas for new housing and support models for vulnerable migrants, those in the asylum system and survivors of trafficking.

Apply for funding to test your housing idea between Monday 7th October until 5pm Monday 4th November 2024.

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Latest news

Housing injustice facing migrants, sanctuary seekers and trafficking survivors intensifies at transition points

Poor housing conditions and insecure living arrangements are significant challenges facing vulnerable migrants, those in the asylum system and survivors…

Commonweal sends open letter to Angela Rayner, Secretary of State at MHCLG 

Commonweal Housing, on behalf of 25 housing sector organisations, has sent an open letter to Angela Rayner, the Secretary of…

Private rented housing “completely depleted”, leaving “forgotten” single homeless people stuck facing years in limbo with no work, no way out, and no hope

Access to low-cost private rented housing across England has become nearly impossible for people living in homelessness accommodation and services,…

Commonweal hiring: Policy and Communications Manager

Commonweal Housing is recruiting a Policy and Communications Manager to join our friendly London-based team. At Commonweal, we use our…

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Blogs

The Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary gave me a real drive and inspiration to ‘inhabit’ the research I was doing about Grenfell Tower

By Olivia Glenny | August 5, 2024

My name is Liv Glenny, and I recently graduated from the University of Birmingham, with a BA in Social Policy and Sociology with a Year Abroad. In my final year, I was one of the four grateful recipients of Commonweal Housing’s Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary, which assisted my dissertation research project. Commonweal’s generous gift of…

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The barriers faced by black renters in the north east of England

By Jessica Nsana | July 15, 2024 |

Jessica Nsana is a recent graduate from the University of Birmingham’s School of Social Policy, who received the Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary from Commonweal in her final year. My name is Jessica, and I am a very grateful recipient of the Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary for the academic year 2023/24. Receiving this Bursary from Commonweal…

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Call for New Ideas: It was an opportunity we felt we have worked towards  

By Aliyah Ali | April 19, 2024

Aliyah Fadeela Ali, is a trauma informed trainer, consultant, researcher and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Daddyless Daughters Project CIC. In this Blog, Aliyah reflects on Daddyless Daughters’ journey with Commonweal’s 2023 Call for New Ideas: Criminal Justice initiative – testing new housing models to address injustices facing those in contact…

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Commonweal’s Conversation with Vice-Chair Amarjit Bains

By Lauren Aronin | April 16, 2024

In this series, Commonweal’s Conversations, we’re chatting to the people at the heart of change in our sector. From frontline service users to CEOs, we want to hear everything from what makes them tick, what hope they see for the future of the sector, and what their favourite ice cream flavour is. We recently sat down…

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Housing barriers impact VAWG survivors journey to recovery and independence

By Lauren Aronin | December 5, 2023

This week marks the second week of ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence’, an international moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls (VAWG), which is a systematic injustice affecting one in three women globally. In the UK, VAWG is rising at an alarming rate. An estimated 2.4 million adults…

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Commonweal’s Conversation with Trustee Dr Elanor Warwick

By Lauren Aronin | November 28, 2023

In this new series, Commonweal’s Conversations, we’re chatting to the people at the heart of change in our sector. From frontline service users to CEOs, we want to hear everything from what makes them tick, what hope they see for the future of the sector, and what their favourite ice cream flavour is. First up…

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It’s about time young adult carers get rights to ensure they have secure housing

By Alicia Jones | November 23, 2023

Alicia Jones, who has experience as a young adult carer, shares her view on the housing issues facing young adult carers this Carers Rights Day 2023.  Adolescence is meant to be a time to enjoy yourself and do all those stereotypical things people do between 16 and 25; like the first holiday with your friends,…

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Understanding the lack of adequate social housing provision for the LGBTQ+ community in the United Kingdom

By Talia Knoble-Gershon | August 31, 2023

It was an honour to be one of four from the University of Birmingham to be awarded the Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary, established in honour of an amazing woman who advocated against social injustices in society. The grant money allowed me to concentrate fully on my dissertation and other pieces of work and conduct many…

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Call for New Ideas: Commonweal were fantastic and supported us all the way through the process

By Gaynor Brooke | August 21, 2023

Gaynor Brooke, Head of Services at successful 2022 Call for New Ideas applicant Servol Community Services, reflects on her organisation’s journey with Commonweal’s Call for New Ideas: I have worked in the Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector in the West Midlands for over 20 years and joined Servol Community Services in 2021…

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The impacts of regeneration on women in the Tower Hamlets

By Grace Hill | July 25, 2023

Grace Hill is a recent graduate from the University of Birmingham’s School of Social Policy, who received the Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary from Commonweal in her final year. The Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary from Commonweal Housing gave me financial freedom. The £2,500 grant money allowed me to devote my time to my studies by drastically…

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Feasibility Studies

Solving social injustice requires new and imaginative ideas, and we want to find them. We provide funding and support to frontline organisations to enable them to test their lightbulb moments and establish whether these could be feasible housing models, and if successful we launch a property-based pilot project in unison with our new partners.

Have an idea you want to test?

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