In the last two decades, The Northern Way has brought over 400 residential units back into use as affordable social housing, helping thousands of people move out of housing distress.
As well as refurbishing dilapidated properties, The Northern Way works with local communities to make neighbourhood life more fulfilling, secure, and connected.
The coalition helps local people acquire new skills — supporting and empowering those furthest from the labour market — and provides clear pathways back into employment.
The Northern Way collaborates closely with local authorities to deliver long-term change, aligning with Local and Strategic Plans for regeneration and housing.
By delivering cost-effective, high-quality housing, the coalition supports both Government and Local Authorities in providing safe accommodation for homeless individuals, asylum seekers, refugees, and others in urgent need.
While other providers are selling off social housing into the private market, The Northern Way is reversing the trend — bringing homes back into the social sector and protecting them for future generations.
The coalition also intervenes in the dysfunctional private rental sector, converting low-quality private lets into long-term, safe, and affordable social homes. This not only secures better living conditions but also helps redirect housing benefit away from exploitative landlords and into sustainable community-led housing.
With the right funding, The Northern Way can bring homes back into use in a matter of months, much faster than new-build developments. Scaling this work would enable the creation of new community-driven organisations in towns and cities across the UK.
The Northern Way is made up of the following six community-driven housing organisations:
Canopy have pioneered many methods of sustainable retrofit in relation to older urban properties. As well as tackling climate change this also gives the tenants of those properties a warm, comfortable place to live, that is free from mould and very cost effective to heat.
Working in one of the most deprived and challenging neighbourhoods in the UK, East Marsh United have begun to transform their community from the bottom up. Wrestling houses back from the private sector, planting trees and clearing rubbish, all done by and for the community that live on the East Marsh.
Giroscope has pioneered working in a strategic way with the Local Authority to bring back hundreds of empty homes in their neighbourhood, following failed central government regeneration schemes. Giroscope brings back into use non-residential buildings as well, providing high quality space for community and business use.
Leeds Action to Create Homes have been bringing back empty properties into use, in their part of Leeds, for over thirty years. These houses are used to house and support some of the most vulnerable people in their community. LATCH’s methods bring happiness and fulfilment to many people, in an extremely cost-effective way.
Community Campus 87, Middlesbrough/Stockton
Community Campus have developed a project that brings empty property back into use, providing supported accommodation for homeless people in the North East. This is linked to training initiatives around the construction work. CC87 specialise in helping young people, providing housing for 16- 18-year olds, a much-neglected group.
Doorstep have been refurbishing long term empty properties for over 35 years in the urban centres of Grimsby, providing quality affordable homes for young people and young families marginalised in the local housing market. Refurbishments provide opportunities for local people furthest from the labour market to learn new skills, build confidence; create new friendships and contribute to the regeneration of their neighbourhoods.
The Northern Way 