Chris Friesen’s Post

📝 Now available: “Working Towards Change: Understanding and Addressing Newcomer Housing Needs” The latest report from AMSSA reveals the intersections of accessing and retaining housing and the newcomer settlement journey in British Columbia. This comprehensive research highlights the need for diverse housing solutions tailored to the varied needs of newcomers. 🏠 Join us in exploring the impactful findings and priority areas proposed for both short-term and long-term improvements. Let’s work together towards a future where everyone has access to safe, affordable and adequate housing. 💪 👀 Read the full report now!https://bit.ly/3RInQ40 @unitedwaybritishcolumbia #BCHousingReport2024 #HousingCrisis #NewcomerSupport #AffordableHousing #AMSSA

This week we're celebrating Homes for Scotland’s SME Awareness Week, running from 19th-23rd August.🎉 We have been supporting our SME development partners across Scotland with access to equity, including Whiteburn, Briar Homes Limited (Scotland) and Cruden Group. They form part of our HGP Regional Growth Initiative (RGI), which offers access to a pot of institutional equity to fund multi-site growth plans, allowing SME developers to free up their own equity to invest into their growing businesses. The current environment is challenging for SMEs in Scotland with housing shortages across the country causing many local authorities, such as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife declaring housing emergencies. SME’s play a critical role in increasing the supply of homes across the country, tackling the housing crisis and bringing brownfield sites back into use. HGP plays a crucial role in assisting and accelerating the delivery of these developments by supporting SMEs in Scotland. SME builders are vital for the Scottish economy with 3.5 jobs supported for every home built. We are committed to helping SMEs grow. Our unique investment approach shares both risk and reward with our partners. See some of our partner sites below and find out more about the impact we’ve already made here: https://lnkd.in/ePwcnHnE #SMEBuilders #HFS #DeliveringMore #Brownfield #RuralHousing #WhiteburnHQ #BriarHomesLimitedScotland #CrudenGroup

💡 A very insightful report highlighting the increasing precarity of securing stable and affordable housing in BC and across Canada for newcomers. A big thanks to AMSSA for all your hard work and bringing this to the forefront of the housing conversation. #HousinginBC #BCHousing #RefugeesWelcome #BCHousingReport2024

So what is the NSW Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) and what does it mean for our Planning community in 2025? The NSW Government announced last week that HDA will commence assessments from January 7th 2025. Therefore, as planners, we will need to be across how it works promptly in the New Year. We’ve pulled together and attached a helpful explainer for our membership on what we see being the key points for the HDA. Read PIA's explainer here and slide across for an quick exec-summary, who? what? and why the HDA? https://lnkd.in/gcf-43z6 PIA NSW President, Sue Weatherley MPIA (Fellow) notes that PIA understands the State Government prioritising housing delivery using an HDA - but urges that the lessons being learnt in designing this authority should be used to accelerate all applications - especially better agency coordination via the Housing Taskforce - alongside a strategic planning approach to project identification.

GSEM has submitted a comprehensive proposal to the development of a new Plan for Victoria by the state government, which aims to ensure that we continue to thrive as a dynamic and self-sustaining region. We are advocating for robust policy and action to support the region's ongoing development and prosperity, with our submission outlining several critical areas of focus: - More jobs closer to where people live: Aligning job opportunities with residential growth to ensure that employment is available and accessible to residents. - Better connectivity: Developing transport and infrastructure to better connect communities within the region. - Housing located with services and infrastructure: Ensuring that new housing developments are planned alongside essential services and infrastructure. - Coordinated infrastructure delivery: Establishing a cohesive approach to infrastructure planning and delivery across local, state, and federal levels. You can read our submission here: https://lnkd.in/gczdn_q4 #gsem #greatersoutheastmelbourne #victoria #springst #planforvictoria

🏡 ARL Responds to the Revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 🏡 The ARL welcomes the inclusion of Build to Rent (BTR) as part of mixed-tenure developments in the revised NPPF, which emphasises the vital role of local authorities in delivering sufficient homes. However, we believe more can be done. While the revised NPPF addresses housing targets, it lacks specific mandates for purpose-built rental homes or clear policies for BTR housing within local plans. As a sector that has delivered over 120,000 new homes and has the potential to deliver millions more, BTR plays a pivotal role in addressing the housing crisis. With high-quality, professionally managed homes, the sector offers greater choice, affordability, and community-building potential. 💡 The ARL is committed to working with the Government and councils to meet housing needs and raise standards across the rental sector. Link for full article is in the comments. #RentalLiving #BuildToRent #HousingCrisis #BTRStandards #NationalPlanningPolicyFramework

Am not sure I'd call today's 'major housing announcement' just that ! Whilst we of course, welcome additional AHSP funding coming forward, the truth is that £80 million split over two years will do little to address the original 26 per cent reduction of nearly £200 million this financial year. With four Local Authorities having declared housing emergencies and recent independent research highlighting that over a quarter of all Scottish households find themselves in some form of housing need, the sector is crying out for long term investment certainty to be prioritised with the appropriate funding, resource and evidence-based regulation needed to address the intensifying housing crisis rather than short-term ad-hoc measures. It is in this context that we are calling on the First Minister to carry out a comprehensive and holistic policy review to ensure we have a housing system that supports the delivery of high quality homes across all tenures to support ambitions for a just transition and wellbeing economy. Action to significantly increase new supply is fundamental to this. Homes for Scotland #deliveringmore

📢 The ARL Responds to Labour’s Launch of NPPF Review 📢 We welcome Labour's announcement on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) review. This critical step aims to reshape the planning system to better meet housing needs and support sustainable growth. At The ARL, we believe these changes are essential for fostering a more robust, inclusive, and efficient housing market. Our commitment remains to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure that the future framework addresses the challenges and opportunities in the Build to Rent sector. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ejv_wVSg #HousingPolicy #BuildToRent #NPPFReview #SustainableGrowth #HousingMarket #ARL #Labour #PlanningPolicy #UKHousing #BTR

Please to see specific reference to Build to Rent in the statement on NPPF today and recognition of the need for BTR as an essential part of mixed tenure new home targets. #btr #sfr #ARL #nationalhousingstrategy