The Agency ...

Activities

Our aim is to create more opportunities for people to acquire the knowledge, and skills to build their own homes and in particular to use our efforts to help those in housing need who are unemployed, young, low income or in housing need. As a result of building their own homes, individuals acquire confidence, self-esteem, skills and a sense of achievement with which to face the future. The following paragraphs describe the work of the agency.
 
Helps those in housing need, who may or may not have building skills, to build homes:

• Encourages Local Authorities to embrace community self build as part of their local strategy
• Identifies ways in which those, without building skills, can build traditional and non-traditional housing
• Encourages training organizations to offer their services to enhance skills acquired during the life of a project.

Creates a positive climate for potential self builders to succeed:

• Promotes the concept of community self build with local organizations, which can support projects i.e. Registered Housing Associations,
• Schools of Architecture, Professional Firms, Training Organizations and Voluntary Organizations.
• Develops press and media opportunities to portray the positive benefits
• Runs exhibitions, seminars and undertakes speaking engagements

Offers independent advice and information / Project Working

• Responds to ad hoc enquiries and requests to visit groups of interested individuals and organizations
• Collates information on community self build activity
• Publishes newsletter, information sheets, training manuals and reports on relevant issues
• Encourages self-help through the pooling of resources
• Promotes self builders building as a group and achieving the benefits of working as a team
• Runs regional forum meetings in the North and South of England so that experiences can be shared and information exchanged
• Provides case studies on pioneering projects in order to assist the learning curve for potential self builders and their partners

Promotes projects, which provide inspiration, an appropriate health and safety code and general good practice

• Highlights projects, which can provide models for others to follow
• Improves access to community self build projects in equal opportunity terms by highlighting positive role models for other potential self
• builders
• Uses its experience to work with local organizations to initiate projects, which incorporate good practice and achieve positive results for
• everyone involved

Explores funding opportunities to secure the future of community self build

• Liaises with the Housing Corporation so that funding for self build is made available in each of its regions
• Researches funding opportunities for future development of community self build activity
• Forms relationships with local and regional organizations who are in a position to access resources
• The Agency took its inspiration from the Zenzele project, the first self build project to involve young unemployed people. With part funding from the Housing Corporation the Agency was formed in 1989. Stella Clarke, the driving force behind the Zenzele project became Chair and continues to hold this position. The Agency works alongside other voluntary organizations, which provide other services in this field.

Achievements So Far

• Over 100 groups have finished building their homes through Community Self Build since 1989. The Community Self Build Agency has been
• Involved with many of these.
• The Agency led a consortium of organizations to launch the first UK Community Self Build Week in 2000 with support from the Community
• Fund. This is now an annual event in October.
• In 2001, nine ex-self builders were recruited as Regional Ambassadors.
• Community Self Build has been recognized as a very meaningful activity in a variety of publications by external agencies.
• In 2000, the CSBA embarked on its first Social Audit and with the help of the regional ambassadors has produced three models for social
• Auditing of projects to be piloted by groups and their partners.

Staff

• John Gillespie - National Development Director
• Alison Marray - Support Worker Lewisham Project
• Karen Hasted - Part-time Finance Officer
• Karen Foster - Assistant CSB London Development
• Kevin Armstrong - South West Bath/Avon
• Martin Ritchie - South West Somerset/Dorset
• Roger Thomson - South West Devon/Cornwall
• Rachel Harris- Project completed 2008

Committee Members

• Stella Clarke CBE – Chair (Founder member: 1989) Prime mover behind the first self build project to involve young, unemployed people (Zenzele); Former Chairman of Knightstone HA; Pro-Chancellor, Bristol University.
• Gary Chase – Vice Chair (Joined: September 1998) Principal Policy and Development Officer, London Borough of Brent; previously held a variety of housing posts in local authorities in London and outside.
• Heather Wheelhouse - Treasurer (Joined: 2005) Financial Analyst.
• Connie Higgins – (Founder member: 1989) Corporate Affairs Director, National House Building Council.
• Claude Hendrickson – (Joined: September 1998) Manager, YES CIBA – Internet project targeted at the unemployed; Development coordinator, 10-2 Club; initiated the Frontline Self Build Project-winner of Youth and Community Award from the Voice in 1997.
• Judith Varley – (Joined: September 2001) Ex University Lecturer; founder member of Gingerbread.
• Tim Alexander – (Joined: November 2003) Marketing and Business Consultant. Former Director of Communications for RSM Robson Rhodes.
• Martin Willey - (Joined: 2006/7) 2009 Royal Town Planning Instatute

Our Aims

To make it possible for men and women from all backgrounds to benefit individually and collectively from being a member of a self build housing group. Whilst participating in the planning, design and building of their own homes they acquire a range of skills and experience. The Agency is particularly interested in opening up opportunities for those with limited income or the unemployed to participate.

What is Community Self Build?

Community self build is about a group of local people in housing need, building their own homes and gaining much more besides. As the concept of community self build becomes more widely known, it is more likely that projects will be initiated by potential self builders, rather than other organizations. Some projects have already been initiated by groups of individuals. Those without building skills, participate on the basis that they are prepared to make the necessary time commitment and be prepared to learn new skills.

What is Group Self Build?

This involves a group of individuals coming together and forming themselves into either a self-build housing association or a housing co-op. Where a project incorporates National Vocational Qualification training and the self builders have the status of trainees, a different legal arrangement may be proposed. Together they build the homes and pool their resources. Each individual agrees to contribute the same fixed number of hours per week, for no payment. The building work is usually carried out in the evenings and weekends and amounts to about 25 hours per week; 35 hours during the week where NVQ training is incorporated. For those who are not in work, their contribution is the same. If they are claiming Job Seeker's Allowance, they must still have time to actively seek work.

Tenure of Housing Provided

Community self-build schemes can be either for rent, shared ownership or outright ownership. Outright ownership is possible for those with reasonable incomes and some savings. Shared ownership is more suited to those on lower incomes; self-builders normally purchase an equity stake of 50% and rent is paid on the other 50%. (In exceptional circumstances, a 25% equity stake can be negotiated rather than 50%). In rented schemes, the self builder will pay a reduced rent usually based on the free labour input contributing to a lower build cost. Sometimes a premium tenancy will be offered whereby a lump sum payment is made if the tenancy is vacated.

Background of Community Self Builders

Community self builders will only in exceptional cases be existing home owners. Most will have moderate to low incomes, which usually makes them dependent on the Local Authority or a Housing Association for rented accommodation. Depending upon the skills of the group, the homes may need to be designed in such a way that skilled workmanship is minimized. Some participants, but by no means all, will have a building background.

Unemployed Self Builders

Under the Jobseeker's Allowance it is possible to become a self builder, so long as you continue to search for work, attend interviews and do not use the project as an excuse to reject job offers. If you accept a job, then it may be possible for you to renegotiate the time when your self build work is carried out or move into your home without the benefit of the reduced rent.

New Deal

Under the New Deal, young people's projects will need to fit one of the options set down by the Government. The Value of Community Self Build Projects Participants are normally those for whom there are very few housing options. It gives them an opportunity to take some control over their lives, achieve a home and develop new skills in a practical way. Most of all, it gives everyone a sense of achievement and can open doors when seeking work opportunities. In the North Tyneside Young Persons project, where the majority was unemployed at the start of the project, 75% found work within 4 months of the homes being completed in 1994.

The Agency's Role

"Building Lives by Building Homes" describes the Agency's work. It was created following the success of the Zenzele self build project in Bristol, where the majority of the self builders were unemployed at the start of the project and all but one had found work by the completion of the project in 1985. A survey was carried out of these same self builders in 1993 and all were still in work. Community self build can transform some people's lives and the aim is to give more people an opportunity to build their own homes and gain much more in the process.

The CSBA's aim is to help more people, in housing need, to build their own homes. It can put potential self builders in touch with each other, help them link up with local partners and convince others that such projects are worthy of their support.