An innovative new project to explore new routes to community engagement around empty homes has taken a major step forward with the appointment of Aisling McCourt as Engagement and Partnership Manager for the project at Tameside MBC.
Greater Manchester Empty Homes Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
Last year, as the project started to come together Dr. Lisa Scullion of Salford University, a key player in the project, sent us this summary of its scope.
There are approximately 25,000 empty homes across Greater Manchester while at the same time there are over 100,000 households on social housing waiting lists. The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) has recently been awarded £8.5 million with the aim to return 930 empty homes back into use over a 3 year period. While funding is available for a set period, it is recognised that a sustainable solution is required.
The University of Salfordin collaboration with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, has been awarded a Knowledge Transfer Partnership(KTP), which is a government backed scheme that brings academics together with organisations to develop new techniques to address particular issues. The Empty Homes KTP is a two year project which will approach the issue from a community engagement perspective. Empty home owners (EHOs) represent one of the most hard to reach communities in that they are culturally diverse (cut across different ethnic groups); geographically diverse (located away from their property); and diverse in terms of socio-economic background. Added to this are the potentially multiple reasons for owning an empty property; e.g. bequest, emotional attachment, family / relationship breakdown, economic downturn, etc. The KTP will seek to bring empty homes back into use through the development of an innovative and sustainable empty homes consultation and engagement strategy. This includes exploring the role of social media techniques as a means of bringing together the various stakeholders involved in addressing the issue of empty homes.
The project will be led by a KTP Associate, who will be supervised by two academics at the University of Salford (Dr Lisa Scullion from the Salford Housing & Urban Studies Unit and Dr Marie Griffiths from the Salford Business School) and a supervisor from Tameside Council. The Associate has recently been recruited and the project will start in January 2013.
Aisling, who has joined the Empty Homes Network, will be the main point of contact for the project. You can reacher her at
aisling.mccourt@tameside.gov.uk
Twitter ID: @GMEmptyHomes