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Speaker: Paul Beard Organisation: Empty Homes Agency (EHA) Website: Empty Homes Agency (EHA) Introduction EHA was founded in 1992 as an independent campaigning charity to raise awareness of empty homes and create sustainable solutions. There are over 700,000 empty properties in the UK, 308,000 of those are private properties. It is essential that every council has an Empty Homes Strategy, which must tie in with their corporate strategy, not their housing strategy. It must deal with both private and public empties. EHA has campaigned for a report to Parliament by the MoD, NHS, RSL’s on their empty properties. Current Projects: EHA has worked to clarify the Council’s enforcement powers in terms of bringing private empty properties back into use. EHA has pioneered the Private Sector Leasing scheme, a carrot and stick approach that encourages private landlords to lease their properties temporarily while they are deciding what to do with them. This temporary housing can be up to 7 years in many cases. The scheme is utilised by many Registered Social Landlords (RSL). EHA warns that both parties should be aware of the risks. A new hotline scheme currently just running in London. It encourages people to call in and report empty properties. The EHA then reports these to communities, and helps bring them back into use, by accessing grants and services to do so. This saves money by catching building deterioration early. There are a large number of empties in the North of England, in Low Demand Areas (i.e. a patch of 50 dwellings which have a high number of refused tenancies, high turnover). EHA has tried to use the media to influence policy makers, campaign with alliances, developed relationships with councils, develop communications. Community Projects: There are several community projects that EHA has been involved: Brookfield United (Preston) Based in an area where there was high crime and no local amenities. A group of residents went to the Council with a business plan to convert a row of empty shops into an advice and community centre. Construction Company made up of 33 local youths who were illiterate and innumerate. They trained with local tradesmen and learnt how to plaster. They then went on to renovate and plaster empty properties on the estate, renting them out before moving onto the next empty. Profits from the business were re-invested in doing up more properties; local businesses helped out with tools and equipment. Gyroscope Group of homeless people raised enough money from friends/ family to put down a mortgage on an empty property, which they turned into accommodation and workshops for themselves.	AUDIO 1 AUDIO 2
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