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Peterborough-based housing association Cross Keys Homes (CKH) has shared how it is working to help deliver ‘levelled up’ communities, ahead of the publication of the much-delayed Government White Paper on Levelling Up. 

CKH is a member of PlaceShapers – the national network of place-based housing associations – which has written new research about the role of housing associations in the Government’s Levelling Up agenda – and the tools they need to do more.  

The report calls on the Government to work far more with local institutions, like housing associations, to deliver their levelling up ambitions.  

CKH already offers a wide range of courses and support options to help residents into work, get online, improve their physical and mental health and learn new skills. They also run a great volunteering programme, support their involved residents who are empowered to make decisions on residents’ behalf, provide support to new mums and young people through their pre-apprenticeship and work opportunity programmes, and take part in a wide range of community involvement projects, including being the trusted partner for the WestRaven Big Local initiative.

Over the years, the housing association has spent millions regenerating local areas and retrofitting its homes to make them as energy efficient as possible and continue to build many new affordable homes for people in need.

CKH Chief Executive and Vice Chair of PlaceShapers, Claire Higgins said: “Housing associations are vital anchor institutions in delivering and driving effective and impactful regeneration of local areas and supporting sustainable communities. We actively support all four dimensions of regeneration as outlined in this new report and with further support from government we will be able to do even more.”

Matthew Walker, Chair of PlaceShapers, added: “Our mission is to put place-shaping at the heart of decision-making to improve lives and communities. So, it is unsurprising that we are fully supportive of the Government’s commitment to ‘level up’. 

“We know that housing associations already deliver a variety of services to level-up where they have homes, however the scale of the challenge requires a different approach, where Government works more with local communities and adequate investment and support is provided for truly effective levelling-up and regeneration.” 

The research – Stay local, go far – is available to read online at: www.placeshapers.org/levelling-up-stay-local-go-far