The Coming Home Report: Responding to Growth

Key thinkers in the Coming Home Report and the Church’s housing strategy met online to discuss the implications of the report and engage in a public Q&A.

The Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani (pictured), as the Church of England’s new Bishop for Housing, explains why this is a topic that the Church should be particularly engaged in. In his role as national Housing Advisory Board member, Bishop Robert hosts the discussion.

On the panel are:

The Church of England’s new Bishop for Housing, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani
Housing Advisory Board member, the Bishop of Tewkesbury, the Rt Revd Robert Springett
Housing Commission members (who now sit on the Housing Advisory Board) David Orr (former Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation)
The Revd Lynne Cullens, Rector of Stockport and Brinnington and Chair of the National Estate Churches Network

Watch now:

Context:

Around 8 million people in England are living in overcrowded, unaffordable or unsuitable housing, according to a recent report by the National Housing Federation. This number is likely to have risen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Whole sections of our society, including people of all ages, are affected by the housing crisis, but those caught in poverty bear the brunt of this injustice. The scale and consequences of the housing crisis have been further exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is a national scandal.

A national vision for housing:

The Coming Home Report was released this spring by the independent Commission on Housing, Church and Community and it lays out a bold and positive vision for housing, one that has been lacking in our national debate on this subject.

The report represents a profound challenge to the Church of England along with other groups, including the government and developers, to tackle the housing crisis.