West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has collaborated with Clear Futures, and Boost TA Ltd, to design and provide 108 modern, relocatable homes on two sites, aimed at improving living standards and supporting families facing homelessness in transitioning to permanent housing, whilst reducing costs for the Council.
The sustainable, relocatable homes will provide families with safe, stable housing, reducing reliance on less suitable and more expensive B&B type accommodation while delivering long-term, cost-effective solutions for councils and their communities.
The UK faces a pressing housing crisis, with over 130,000 households currently in temporary accommodation, costing local authorities in England in excess of £2.8bn per year (25% increase on the previous year). In June 25 WNC was providing temporary accommodation for 780 households across the district.
Cllr Charlie Hastie, cabinet member for housing and communities at WNC, said: “This proposal allows us to create temporary accommodation which is better suited to people’s needs and saves taxpayers money. Nobody ever wants to find themselves and their family homeless, but if they do, they want the reassurance that someone can help solve the immediate worry of needing a roof over their head.
“These new homes will create two small communities as the starting point for getting people back on their feet. They will have integrated local amenities, and the homes can be moved elsewhere at any time, should the need arise.”
By working with Clear Futures, WNC was able to benefit from a unique flexible procurement route, fully compliant with the new Procurement Act 2023, agile contracting options and a transparent market testing process that has enabled Clear Futures to unlock value for money for the council whilst fast tracking the delivery of the temporary homes.
Charlotte Cordingley, chief executive at Clear Futures, commented: “Councils across the country are facing growing pressure as more people and families find themselves needing temporary accommodation. Projects like this are so important and they do so much more than provide a roof for the night. They create empowering spaces to support families to grow together and help them improve their lives. We are incredibly proud to be working in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council and Boost TA to deliver a sustainable, long-term solution for residents that reduces cost and increases outcomes for the council.”
Boost TA provides sustainable, fully compliant temporary homes that promote resident well-being through fully relocatable houses. They offer a holistic model of providing bespoke modular, cost-effective housing solutions that create viable new communities in a way that greatly reduces programme time and slashes the revenue costs many councils are currently paying for temporary accommodation.
Giles Donovan, co-founder of Boost TA, said: “Not since the end of the Second World War has there been a greater need for immediately available temporary and social housing stock. That urgent need drove our partnership-focused approach to creating purpose-built high quality modular accommodation that provides a dignified solution to getting people back on their feet when they find themselves temporarily without a home.
“Designed for scale, precision and consistent quality, our model delivers much-needed social housing faster, with lower long-term running costs and reduced short-term capital outlay.”
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