Housing group helping find solutions for affordability crisis

GRŵP Cynefin, a leading rural communities housing development in North Wales, has become part of the Welsh Government’s affordable housing pilot in Dwyfor looking for solutions to Gwynedd’s housing crisis.

The recruitment process has begun for a ‘Senior Community Housing Officer’ to work with communities to gather information on local housing needs. As part of the three-year contract, the officer will also be tasked with promoting houses based on the community’s needs and creating housing co-operative projects similar to a community trust.

Another responsibility will be to work with registered social landlords and Gwynedd Council to try and meet the area’s local housing needs. It will also develop as a vehicle for promoting communityled housing as a possible solution.

The role is part of the Welsh Government’s wider plans to try and tackle the housing crisis facing rural areas of Gwynedd and beyond, that is seeing more and more local people being priced out of the housing market.

Grŵp Cynefin’s Rural Housing Enabler figures* reveal that the percentage of people who cannot afford to buy a home in Dwyfor is as high as 95 per cent in Abersoch, 79 per cent in Aberdaron and 68 per cent in Morfa Nefyn.

Gwynedd has the highest percentage of second homes in Wales, 5098, which now sits as one in ten of the county’s homes.

Concentrating on Dwyfor communities the new Senior Community Housing Officer will host grassroot discussions with local community councils, associations and organisations.

The main purpose of these will be to identify new land opportunities that could be put forward as potential affordable housing developments sites.