Welcome for Church housing initiative
News this week that the Church of England has confirmed plans to set up a national housing association has been welcomed by housing activists in Cumbria.The church aims to make the church a “major provider” of social housing across the country.
The Cumbria activists recall an earlier involvement of the church in social housing and hope that the new initiative will have a big impact on homelessness and the current housing crisis.
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Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelsmford, the Church of England`s first bishop for housing
Like many of Riverside`s other Carlisle leaseholders Billy had constantly to put up with botched repairs and other neglect by the Liverpoo-based property development organisation.
He complained repeatedly but nothing happened. Councillors, MP`s and community groups were all approached. But no one could help.
.Riverside was a law to itself: it was untouchable.
So out of desperation Billy wrote to his local bishop, the Bishop of Carlisle (Rt. Rev. James Newcome) asking for help for all the victims of Riverside`s neglect. Sadly, the bishop had no power to give direct help.
But he put Billy in touch with Carlisle Cathedral where a meeting was organised by one of the clergy, Canon Michael Manley at his home in the cathedral close.
That meeting attracted more than 20 leaseholders, tenants and others, all of them victims of the ramshackle inefficient Riverside organisation. Representatives attended on behalf of the sixty Riverside ice box tenants at Longtown who for four winters had been unable to afford to properly heat their homes.
Those at that meeting formed themselves into an organisation to fight Riverside. It was called Cumbria Riverside Action Group (CRAG), a very lively pressure group in the county,
Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 52227
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