The Matrix Housing Partnership, a consortium of social landlords led by GSA, has marked its 1,000th home start since securing funding from central government in 2021.
The milestone was reached by fellow Midlands-based housing association Citizen at its new development on Coventry Road in Birmingham. Citizen is transforming the now-demolished Ivy Social Club into a thriving community of 50 affordable homes and a ground-floor retail unit.
Michael Park, Director of Sales and Programme Delivery at Citizen, said:
“It’s brilliant to see work starting at our Ivy Road development in Sheldon and for it to reach this important milestone for the Matrix Partnership.
“It’s important to work with our partners to make a positive difference for our customers, and bringing a brownfield site back into use by building affordable homes will help those who need a home in the area.
“We’re also pleased to honour the history of the site by moving the war memorial into a better location so it can be seen by more people.”
The Ivy Club was run by the Royal British Legion, and a previously hidden war memorial that stood on the former car park will be moved to a more prominent position when the development is complete.
The homes at Citizen’s Coventry Road development are set to be completed in spring 2027 and will be let for social rent, which is typically around 50 per cent of the market rate.
Commenting on the home start milestone, Asfana Begum our Programme Officer said: “For two decades, the Matrix Housing Partnership has been working together to deliver the affordable homes our region needs.
“By using a consortium model, we have been able to secure funding for new developments, share best practice and pool our resources. Congratulations to our colleagues at Citizen on surpassing the milestone of 1,000 home starts since the Matrix partners were awarded funding from the UK Government’s Affordable Homes Programme in October 2021.”
Homes England, the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing, awarded the Matrix Housing Partnership £185m from the UK Government’s Affordable Homes Programme to support the delivery of 2,167 affordable homes.
The Matrix Housing Partnership is made up of GSA, Black Country Housing Group, Citizen Housing Group, Pioneer Group, Rooftop Housing Group and Trident Group.