Mutual Aid In Sussex (MAIS)

Join us on Saturday 15 July for an open day of six housing co-operatives in Brighton & Hove, each with its own story. This is a chance to see some of the ways more genuinely affordable housing has been created in the city.

Please turn up at any of the houses at 1pm, 2.30pm and 4pm (Rosa Bridge is just 1pm) for the tour of the house/flat, kindly offered by one of the residents who can answer questions and give an overview of the co-operative’s history.

Members of MAIS will be at Coachwerks in Hollingdean between 12.30pm and 6pm to answer any questions and provide information. Drop in for a drink and a chat. More on Coachwerks here: http://coachwerks.org/

Two Piers

Two Piers is a permanent ownership housing co-operative, Brighton’s largest housing co-op. It provides affordable housing for 68 single people, including parents, in shared and self-contained flats and houses in several locations across the city.

The Christchurch flats are very central, close to Western Road. There are eleven flats, of various sizes, in two blocks facing each other across a small paved garden, which boasts a fishpond and lovely pergola.

Christchurch is on the site of an old church which was demolished. The Two Piers build started in 1985 and tenants moved in two years later. The housing was designed by Michael Blee, who closely followed the Co-op’s brief of providing a highly communal building, basing his ideas on rural villages in India and Mexico.

There is a ‘gazebo’ in the garden, used for meetings, band practice, children’s parties, meditation, and which currently houses the co-op’s archives and library.

There will be a sign on the door of Christchurch so you can contact the resident who will show you around her flat. The flat is accessible on ground floor but there are stairs to the toilet. Neighbours with no stairs can let people use their toilet if needs be.

More info: http://twopiers.coop Continue reading →

Affordability, instability, damp, bad landlords, overcrowding – just some of the issues raised at Housing Crisis: Community Solutions 2017 on Saturday 24 June.

People from across Brighton, Hove and beyond came together to discuss their housing wants and needs, learn about some of the community-led alternatives and share ideas for what to do next. We also heard from some of the people working to change the situation, from people living in co-operatives to others campaigning for a living rent.

Tom Chance of the National Community Land Trust Network gave an overview of the different options when it comes to community-led housing – from co-operatives to cohousing, building form scratch to making use of an existing house or building. You can download his presentation here (ppt).

Helen Russell and Peter Clarke gave an overview of Brighton and Hove Community Land Trust (BHCLT) as well as the potential of a new community-led led housing hub for Brighton and Hove that could support new groups. You can download their presentation here (pptx).

Allie and Helen from two local housing co-operatives – Skylark and Rosa Bridge – talked about how they started and how they make their co-ops work. You can download their presentation here (pptx).

Thank you to all of the speakers, Hail Seitain! who provided the food and everyone who came along to help out on the day, or share their ideas.

What comes next?

We want to keep the conversation going so do get in contact on mais@riseup.net with any questions or ideas that need following up.

On Saturday 15 July there will be a chance to see the variety of what a housing co-operative could mean in practice. Housing co-operatives around Brighton and Hove have kindly agreed to show people around at set times during the day. There will also be people in Coachwerks, Hollingdean during the day to answer any questions, or just have a cup of tea. Find out more here.

On Wednesday 19 July there will be a meeting of Mutual Aid in Sussex (MAIS) at Coachwerks, 19a Hollingdean Terrace, BN1 7HB from 7.30pm. It will be a chance to meet other people who are interested in more community-minded and co-operative living and working, discuss ideas and work out where we can help each other out. It will also be a chance to follow up on any ideas or issues raised at the housing event on Saturday. If you can, please bring £1 towards the venue costs.

On Saturday 19 August Brighton and Hove Housing Coalition is holding a conference and launch event at the Crypt Community Centre, St George’s Road, Kemp Town, BN2 1ED. There will be a question and answer session with local MPs, and workshops on a variety of topics, including temporary & emergency accommodation, community-led housing, health and housing, legislation, accessibility, homelessness and affordability. Sign up for the event and find out more here at Eventbrite.

Saturday 24 June, 10am – 5pm
Brighton Steiner School, Roedean Road, Kemp Town/Whitehawk, BN2 5RA (map).
FREE entry. Donations asked for to cover costs. No person turned away for lack of funds.

Register here:

We have a housing crisis in Brighton & Hove. House prices are nearly five times what they were twenty years ago. Over 30% of households are privately renting, which is the biggest proportion of any town and city in England and Wales. More than 26,000 people are on the council housing waiting list and 1 in 69 people in Brighton & Hove are homeless. Most of us can’t afford to live here without some form of subsidy or spending a massive amount of our incomes on housing. Damp housing, overcrowding and evictions are all too common.

Community-led housing (including housing co-operatives and Cohousing) is one of many ways to create more genuinely affordable and secure housing in the city. It also enables people to be more part of a community and to take power back from the hands of developers, letting agencies and a housing market that is out of control.

Housing Crisis: Community solutions 2017 is an opportunity to find out about – and get help to create –different kinds of community-led housing.

Find out more here

There will be a chance to join existing community housing groups or start your own with other like-minded people at the event. People from housing organisations and campaigns in the city will be there to answer any questions.

Join us on Saturday 24 June for a day dedicated to community-led housing and how people can make it happen.

We have a housing crisis in Brighton & Hove. House prices are nearly five times what they were twenty years ago. Over 30% of households are privately renting, which is the biggest proportion of any town and city in England and Wales. Around 26,000 people are on the council housing waiting list and 1 in 69 people in Brighton & Hove are homeless. Most of us can’t afford to live here without some form of subsidy or spending a massive amount of our incomes on housing. Damp housing, overcrowding and evictions are all too common.

Community-led housing (including housing co-operatives and Cohousing) is one of many ways to create more genuinely affordable and secure housing in the city. It also enables people to be more part of a community and to take power back from the hands of developers, letting agencies and a housing market that is out of control.

Housing Crisis: Community solutions 2017 is an opportunity to find out about – and get help to create – housing co-operatives and co-housing. There will also be a session on how people or groups can access money and support to help build new community-led housing in Brighton & Hove. See the full schedule for the day here.

There will be a chance to join existing community housing groups or start your own with other like-minded people at the event. People from housing organisations and campaigns in the city will be there to answer any questions.

Saturday 24 June from 10am – 5pm at Brighton Steiner School, Roedean Rd, BN2 5RA (map). The event is FREE but we are asking for donations to help cover costs.

You will need to book in advance if you would like lunch on the day (you can also bring your own food instead).  You can turn up on the day without booking but it would help us get an idea of numbers if you reserve your place in advance, even if you don’t want lunch.

Register here:

There will be a creche, so please let us know in advance if you are bringing children. There is also a disabled toilet at the school and the talks and stalls will be on the ground level. If you would like to come but have access needs you don’t think are covered, please get in touch on mais@riseup.net.