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Empty properties become first home for young people in East Manchester

Nine empty homes will be the next wave of refurbished empty properties to be brought back in to use – helping young people to take on their first tenancies.

The First Key project – a partnership between Manchester City Council, the charity The Manchester Settlement, Mosscare Housing Group and BTP Architects – continues a focussed effort to bring empty homes back in to use across Manchester. 

Investment from The Manchester Settlement, Mosscare Housing – as well as Empty Homes Funding through the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) – has driven the transformation of the properties into high quality shared accommodation.

The renovation project will deliver six three bedroom properties and a further three properties with four bedrooms in east Manchester using local labour to support local employment, along with opportunities for young people to gain vital work experience and construction skills.

Manchester City Council will identify suitable young people who require rehousing, tenancy support will be provided by The Manchester Settlement and Mosscare Housing Group will manage the refurbished homes.

The accommodation is close to education, employment and advice services and the young people embarking on their first tenancies will be supported to engage in education, training or employment.

Cllr Jeff Smith, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “Bringing empty homes back into use is the most efficient and cost effective way of supporting Manchester’s increasing housing requirement.

“For young people that first tenancy can be a daunting hurdle but with help from the city council and Manchester Settlement they should have a really positive start to their experience.”

Adrian Ball, Chief Executive of Manchester Settlement, said: “Manchester Settlement has been working to help communities in Manchester for over 100 years. Both empty homes and homelessness are issues facing the community in east Manchester, so to be able to play a key part in a project that tackles both of these is a real privilege.”

Patrick Nolan, Technical Services Director of Mosscare Housing Group, said: “This is a continuation of Mosscare’s commitment to regenerating Openshaw and providing quality homes for those in need. The project will give young people a stable environment to improve their education and employment opportunities.”

Lee Podmore, Quantity Surveyor at BTP commented: “We are proud to work with our partners on such a worthwhile scheme which transforms some of Manchester’s previously redundant housing stock into desirable new homes for young people.”

The city council’s commitment to transforming empty homes and bringing them back in to use was set out in the Manchester Residential Growth Prospectus that highlighted empties as a major resource to fulfil the city’s housing requirement in the future.

      

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